Office of Senator Joseph Cao

[Joseph Cao]

Wikimedia Commons

Right then, about time I got this set up. Welcome to my new House office, one and all! Obviously, this is a place where you're all welcome to submit questions or concerns about my work in Congress and in Atlasia more generally.

Should this on-forum activity not materialize, as is likely to happen, this will also be the place to look for stuff related to my work – hopefully, explanations on each vote as well as an archive of votes for each Congress – together with PSOL-style monologuing speeches on the issues of the day. Aside from links to past and future campaign threads, all campaigning undertaken by myself during the NPC elections will appear here.

While they are fully encouraged to do so, visitors who enter without knocking are likely to find me a) passed out on the carpet, b) sitting on my desk declaiming to the dart-ridden photograph of William Jefferson on the wall, or c) actually working. In the event of either a) or b) happening, please have a seat, sample some of the delicious biscuits in that jar next to your chair, and wait for me to return to normal.


My campaign threads:

that by-election
my House campaign(s)

[Esteemed Jimmy]

sample some of the delicious biscuits in that jar next to your chair

Biscuits are great

[Elcaspar]

As the new Speaker i would like to welcome Joseph Cao to the House of Representatives.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Congrats Joseph Cao! I wish you luck!

[Joseph Cao]

[Transcript of the Representative's opening speech at an outdoor event in Aurora, Illinois, for the Federalist gubernatorial candidate and local state House and state Senate candidates. Social distancing and other public health guidelines were strictly enforced.]

Thank you, Illinois! It's wonderful to be back in my great state with some of the best Atlasians I know. And I'd like to begin by thanking you all for taking part in the lobbying efforts and referendum on the You Should Not be Penalized for Missing Votes that Everyone Else did amendment on the Lincoln ballot this past weekend, which was defeated with your help. Never forget, my fellow Atlasians, that your voice matters! There should be no place in Lincoln for elected officials who attempt to justify inactivity of any kind.

On that note, I'm glad that the Illinois Federalist Party has done a great job at recruiting active candidates; we are contesting all state Senate districts and all but one state House district. The groundswell of enthusiasm from our fellow citizens has been remarkable, and I am very proud of the fact that all our candidates are credible, competent, and ready to begin the tough job of serving as your state legislators on day one. Of course we have a diversity of opinion among our slate – what works to improve the lives of Illinoisans in Wicker Park will differ from the measures needed to lift up struggling Illinoisans in Carbondale, and our candidates have done a great job of reflecting their local communities' needs and priorities. So I hope you'll consider taking a look at the substantive plans our candidates have put forward to help Illinois get through the coronavirus crisis, grow our state economy, and make the standard of living across our state affordable and reachable for all citizens. Enough of the boring ideological conformity we've seen in Illinois and in Lincoln in recent years; it's time for real debate in Springfield on how best to improve the lives of our wonderful citizens and drive them to succeed!

And as for the top job: the Federalist Party has the great honor of being able to throw our full support behind a qualified candidate, a wonderful woman, an experienced state legislator, a great example of how every Illinoisan can rise above their circumstances with help from their communities and institutions… but of course she has her own story to tell. My fellow citizens, it is my great pleasure to welcome your next governor of Illinois!

[Joseph Cao]

[Mr. Cao was invited yesterday to deliver the opening speech at an outdoor event by the Rhode Island Federalist Party in Providence, RI in support of a promising State Senate candidate. A transcript of his remarks may be found below for public release.]

Good to see you, Rhode Island! I'm glad to see all of you turn out today, and especially heartened that you're all wearing masks and maintaining proper social distancing. Small measures, to be sure, but the actions we make as individuals often have huge effects. And I'm pleased to be able to announce that the Federalist Party's candidates for local office have been great leaders in this regard. None of that reflexive reactionary refusal to wear masks or keep six feet away from people in the store because of nebulous appeals to "freedom" and "human rights", if you please! The Rhode Island Federalist Party understands that proper civic duty demands a regard for the safety and wellbeing of one's fellows – that the right to "freedom" we all enjoy here in Rhode Island, in Lincoln, and in Atlasia comes with the responsibility of knowing that your individual actions have societal consequences.

I'm sure you are all familiar with the Man Atop the Statehouse across town: the statue of an "Independent Man". The independence that he stands for is part and parcel of Rhode Island's history, from the Constitutional Convention right down to the present day. Like Roger Williams, and like the Rhode Islanders who made their home here in this parcel of land by the ocean, we Lincoln Federalists can take care of ourselves and those within our big tent. And it is a big tent, ladies and gentlemen; it has to be for us to survive in the most inhospitably inelastic political landscape to be found anywhere in Atlasia. We have fiscal liberals and deficit hawks; we have social conservatives and hardened libertarians; but what unites us all is the common understanding that good government is brought about not only by responsible hands in the halls of power, but also by a citizenry that does its civic duty. Nowhere is there a better example of such a citizenry than here in this unprepossessing New England state – and nowhere is there a better example of a party independent from national expectations, a party that rejects radicalism and creeping civic apathy in any form whatsoever, and a party that stands for Constitutional rights and equality under the law for each and every citizen of this great nation, than the Federalist Party of Rhode Island, of Lincoln, and of Atlasia!

That is the message I hope you take away from this, my fellow Atlasians. Only you know where we Federalists stand in your estimation; we know we are not owed your vote. So continue to be good citizens; go to other political parties and inquire of them where they stand; find out their plans for your economic stability, their support of public health, and all the other issues that you deem important in making up your mind. And at the end of the day, we hope you'll find us Federalists – we independent men and women – the best choice to sit in the statehouse and to deliver a better future on your behalf in the legislature.

And to begin that process, let me hand this over to a young man some of you may already know, who has already accomplished much in the civic sphere as a spokesperson and spearheader of numerous public health and safety initiatives… please welcome your next state senator!

[Joseph Cao]

PRESS RELEASE: CAO, DALTON HEADLINE JOINT FUNDRAISER IN NEW YORK CITY

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. — Representative Cao today attended a Federalist Party fundraising event in Brooklyn with prospective statewide candidate John Dalton and the Federalist mayoral candidate, where they engaged in an elbow-bumping meet-and-greet organized by local party chairs and volunteers. Mr. Dalton was unfortunately forced to leave midway through the event by an urgent health-related family matter and was therefore unable to accompany the others to Times Square, where the mayoral candidate delivered a rousing stump speech calling ordinary citizens to civic action in the face of the coronavirus crisis, taking aim at the relative inaction of left-leaning city leaders in general and the incumbent mayor in particular and urging New Yorkers to get out and vote.

The Representative's speech was shorter and largely focused on the Federalist Party's efforts to support Atlasians through legislation sponsored in Nyman and in the regions, including actions taken by fellow Representative Encke and former Representatives cinyc and OSR over the past several sessions of Congress. A section of the speech was devoted to cinyc, a New York native, and the retired representative's achievements in making lives easier for the workers of Atlasia in various offices over a long career in public office.

Representative Cao also issued a public call for greater efficiency in the local government with regard to wasteful spending and inefficiency in getting funds to public health facilities, pledging Federalist support for better management of New York City's public health and for a more hands-off approach to onerous regulations on restaurants and bars that had contributed to the spike in closures over the past several months. "While regulations that advance the cause of public health and ensure clean eateries for New Yorkers are to be commended, there's no excuse for the sort of pointless bureaucratic red-tape that business owners and workers have had to deal with on top of the coronavirus crisis, and it is the position of the Federalist Party of New York that these ought to be repealed," the Representative said.

Polls for the New York city mayoral race are currently open and will close on Friday.

###

[Joseph Cao]

[Representative Cao and Lincoln Council candidate Brother Jonathan held a rally together in Concord, New Hampshire, in support of both Brother Jonathan’s Council run and the campaigns of several prospective Federalist NPC state representatives and state senators. The text of their speeches may be found below for public release.]

Speech in Support of Local Federalist Candidates
—Concord, New Hampshire—

The values that we, as Federalist, espouse and hold dear have never been more vital to the proper governance of our nation than they are now. At all levels, we must call upon our fellow citizens to vote to protect their liberties and rights in these times of political turmoil across the globe. The events of recent years in our ever turbulent world must stand to warn us of the great dangers that liberty today faces from all sides, and it will must be the duty of Federalist office holders at all levels to defend those liberties we so cherish.

Though it can be said, and not wrongly so, that it is at the federal level that liberty faces its greatest challenge, we would be misguided to forget that it is our states and localities that serve as the vital ‘laboratories of democracy’, working ever diligently to refine the practices and procedures of those republican institutions that serve as the true, practical bedrock of our liberties. We, as Federalist, bring to all levels of government a commitment to the regulated and balanced improvement of our governing institution, balanced by the knowledge that haphazard and hasty modification in the name of freedom more often does harm to liberty and safety than it does a service.

As Federalist, we are committed to federalism, to a notion that our localities, states, regions, and our federal government share in the duties and responsibility of governing. We recognize the value and the necessity in the constant balancing act of government, and we see in our patchwork system not disunion but strength through diversity. We see, and rightly so, that our institutions best defend our liberties when they are balanced against one another. Federalists at the state level must stand up for the rights of their states, and must work to ensure that liberty of not only the people, but of their respective states, are defended against intrusion by higher levels of government.

The building block of all government is community, and as such it is at the local level that government must truly begin. We must be able to diagnose local problems, and from those problems build solutions that work for communities. We must be ever diligent in ensuring that government remembers that communities are at the heart of every solution, and that human connection and human nature cannot be bent by the will of the state alone. Government governs best when it governs with the grain of community, not against it, and I urge you all to be first and foremost voices for your communities. It is imperative that, in these ever more interconnected and discordant times, that we ground ourselves in our communities and in the shared values and aspirations of those we have long lived with.

Communities are diverse, and far from uniform in nature. As a result, we cannot have “one size fits all” solutions to the problems our communities face. It is the job, then, of the Federalists to ensure that our government does not ignore our communities when seeking solutions. We know that man is a social animal, that he is by his nature drawn to community, and we cannot seek to address his problems and ameliorate his troubles by cutting him off from the communities that give him meaning and connection.

These values, the protection of liberty, the promotion of the rights of states and of localities, and the central role of community in addressing the ills of society that we as Federalists must promote at all levels of government. But it falls to our laboratories of democracy to truly give these values life. I stand proudly on this platform, and feel that is needed now more than ever in our turbulent world.

 

My thanks to Brother Jonathan for that excellent speech, a beautifully succinct summation of the values that all Federalists hold dear. And I have the utmost confidence that the state representatives and senators you see with us onstage here in the lovely city of Concord hold firmly within them these same ideals and are prepared to apply them to the best of their ability.

And I’d like to talk a little more about these ideals. Because those are what lie at the bedrock of our society and our entire mode of thought, upon which Atlasia finds its highest aspirations and from which it is hoped that its citizens and elected officials can draw plans to improve their fellows’ lives and continue pushing the nation onward and upward. Take liberty, for example. Liberty and justice for all – that is the promise enshrined in our Pledge of Allegiance, and therein lies the potential that Atlasia's government at all levels must live up to. What use is a government to its Atlasian citizens if it does not guarantee the self-evident truths that all are created equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities and liberties and due process?

“For all.” But how, exactly? We may all be humans and Atlasian citizens, but every man, woman, and child in this great nation has vastly different needs; and likewise the communities made up of and sustained by these vastly different people’s aspirations each have a diversity of opinions and aims. On the federal level this is pretty well demonstrated by the states and regions, which (while somewhat arbitrary at the best of times) nevertheless show us that communities are rarely homogeneous and that compromise and cooperation are always at the core of good governance. This is more obviously true at a local level, another reason to commend the value of preserving the importance of localities and communities in any system of government. At this closest of all levels of government to the constituents it serves, there is a common understanding – the purest distillation of Federalist principles – of what the people need and expect from a government; and, in particular, an expectation on the part of both parties that the government will step in when it is most needed, and ideally not more than it needs to. This is by no means an ideology or an inflexible checklist; this is a temperament, one that the Federalist Party’s candidates intimately understand, appreciate, and live by.

Good government is supposed to be composed first and foremost of representatives of the people. And New Hampshire is great in that regard! Where else in Atlasia can you find a state that chooses to elect four hundred representatives to a single governing body? It goes without saying that such a system keeps your elected officeholders in touch with you, the people who have placed your trust in them through your vote. But it also says something about the norms of governing in this nation when such a large legislature is seen as an outlier. Because the government, it must be stressed over and over, is not a bogeyman upon which the disaffected may blame their arbitrary ills; neither is it a serviceman or a valet that exists to give the people whatever they desire. It is the people.

And ultimately therefore it must fall to you, the people of Atlasia, to take upon yourselves the responsibilities into which the upstanding citizen must grow with time: to stand up for what you believe in; to be prepared to participate in the public square; and to strive always to defend the ideals, enshrined in our Constitution and upon which our political system finds its philosophical grounding, that gives every one of us the ability to do so. That is the hope with which I ran for and was elected to Congress, and that is the hope I leave you with as polls open in a couple more days and you meet Brother Jonathan and the rest of these wonderful people once more, this time as names on a ballot – fine upstanding citizens who fully deserve your vote.

My thanks to you once again, New Hampshire, for your time. Thank you all; Dave bless you all, and Dave bless Atlasia.

[Joseph Cao]

[To conclude the NPC campaign season in his capacity as Lincoln party chair, Representative Cao attended a party meeting and question-and-answer session open to members of the public in Napierville, then traveled to Peoria for a livestreamed evening rally attended (both in-person and virtually) by several dozen Federalist state House and state Senate candidates, where he gave the closing speech reprinted below.]

Well, here we are back in Illinois: the best state in the best region, the original Land of Lincoln, and to be perfectly frank I wouldn't wish to spend the final twenty-four hours of this election anywhere else. It's getting late in the evening and in the election, so I'll keep you folks up for just a few more minutes.

I've talked about our party before, but it does bear repeating that the Federalist Party of Illinois is and always has been a big tent. We set up shop in the old stomping grounds of the Railsplitter, now some of the most politically hostile territory in this nation, which has required us to embrace compromise and sustained pitching to a population that at times hasn't been favourable to us. That has only been possible because of our ideals and pragmatism, and above all of our structure: one able to accommodate figures ranging from the late lamented Councillor Grassr00ts, a politically haywire populist; to our state House candidate here all the way from Hamilton County down south, who's a strong supporter of implementing a state UBI; to our state Senator from Peoria here, an ordained pastor and pillar of his community. That big tent has made us all intimately acquainted with the internal debate and discussion that engenders, such that getting along with the other side and working with them to improve the lives of Illinoisans is second nature to us. It's made us a political organ capable of functioning in the full range of our state's communities. And it's powered by citizens like yourself who understand what we're doing and why we're doing it.

Those of you still here with us and those of you watching along at home know well – know in your bones – the price of being a citizen and an informed voice in the body politic. Politics is tiring work. It isn't always as inspiring as we want it to be. It isn't just waving a magic wand and solving the problems of affordable housing, or climate change, or the huge income disparities that still exist in our region. Of course we'd like it to be, but everything in life takes work: family, relationships, work itself. Why should politics be any different? Change is always the result of lots of people deciding to make something better and then working at it and keeping at it. Rosa Parks wasn't the first Black woman to be thrown off a bus for the crime of sitting in the wrong seat, but she was the culmination of decades of efforts by the NAACP and by African Americans to draw attention to the longstanding injustice of racial segregation. No part of those decades of work was at all glamorous or uplifting. But they did it all the same.

And so do we – so must we – because we know what it means for us to live in the longest-running democracy on the planet, with a voting ethic that the rest of the world looks up to. Our history of voter participation and on upholding the principle of "one person, one vote" is patchy, of course. But apologizing for the injustices done is only one part of growing as a citizenry; the other part is to work to make sure those don't happen again. And that requires activity. That requires a clear understanding of the important policy issues that affect your future and the futures of your family, your friends, your community, even of people you've never met and likely never will meet. That requires you to find out which of your candidates has a plan to do something about these issues – as all of our Federalist candidates here in Illinois do. That requires you, above all, to vote.

You vote because change for the better always requires the application of blood, sweat, and elbow grease. You vote because politics is the art of stretching the big tent and of compromise for the common good. You vote because you are aware of what your government is and should be – not a group of Santa Clauses or badly caricatured political bogeymen, but a collection of representatives and senators, state and county executives who are in those positions because you the people put them there and can remove them if they don't listen to your concerns and your needs. And it is my hope that, in this most sacred of democratic actions, you will make careful choices like the good and concerned citizens you are. If that choice is the Federalist Party, as I hope and believe it will be, we will be ready to hit the ground running. If you have made another choice, I can still rest easy in the knowledge that you have done your duty as citizens and as Atlasians. So go vote – because while change doesn't happen overnight, this election weekend can be the first three nights it begins for Illinois, for Lincoln, and for Atlasia.

Thank you all for coming and for listening in, folks. Dave bless you all, and good night.

[Joseph Cao]

[Representative Cao kicked off the Federalist Party campaign in Wisconsin yesterday with an event in Milwaukee, where, after delivering the remarks reprinted below, he was invited to join a town hall with a number of candidates for state House and state Senate who were also in physical and virtual attendance at the livestreamed event.]

Hello, Milwaukee! Hello, Wisconsin! It's great to be out here on the ground again, and thanks to everyone here for coming and for wearing masks and staying socially distanced. That's a great indicator of the mutual respect and care for each others' safety that will bring Wisconsin and the nation through this crisis, and I commend you all for it.

One of the many commendable things I've encountered time and again out on the campaign trail these past few months (and especially here in Milwaukee) has been the community spirit that powers you good folks. It really is a welcome strength in these unprecedented times – I know, people! I know you're all tired of hearing that phrase, but it bears repeating – as our nation fights back against one of the most severe and pervasive public health and economic crises in recent memory. It's a struggle in which every Atlasian has their own duty to do. But I don't want to drag the military metaphor too far: we are a nation whose population numbers in the hundreds of millions and it's quite frankly impossible for any one leader to know which marching orders are best suited for each of us. So the real fight – and the real defence – lies at a much lower level, and it's why we're gathered here today with these upstanding public servants; the mobilization for this fight and so many others begins at the local level, and it is only through the understanding between a citizen and their surroundings that each citizen can find a way to stand up for their community. Everyone has their own strengths, and our nation has always thrived on the realization of those strengths in the public sphere. Your prospective state representatives and state senator here, with their years of service to their community and to their nation, can attest to that.

And one of the questions I've gotten recently ties into that same lesson. Someone asked me: what does it benefit me to run around the country in support of our candidates, when I'm up against so many political giants from other parties running around in support of their candidates? And to answer that: nothing obvious. I don't have years or decades of service under my belt, and I haven't sponsored or signed into law any sweeping bills that would lend any of my efforts any extra credibility. But I do know that if I had all those things, but lost my understanding of where the change actually starts and is implemented, I would be worse off. The experiences I and these public servants have had in our communities – the meth labs of democracy, minus the meth – were absolutely formative for us as people and as members of the Party whose banner we now stand under. It animates the visions we have of our nation as a nation dedicated to the proposition of a government for our communities, helping each such community do their best in lifting Atlasians up; because, after all, the citizens of each community are the ones who know themselves best.

That is why, if you are a Federalist or operate on Federalist principles, it will be obvious that the narrative that we somehow don't care about or don't fight for Atlasians doesn't hold water. Because we recognize that change is best implemented on the ground, in our local regions and communities – and that is where we will fight. That is where every good citizen, even if you choose not to run for state representative or city council member or even for the school board, will stand firm and stand up for their fellow citizens, on behalf of the struggling and the downtrodden, and in keeping with the true meaning of this nation's creed: all men and women created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, my friends, is how the Federalist Party of Wisconsin fights. That is where the change happens. That is where your fellow-citizens here aim to make their own change in the state legislature, based in their own experiences and their past efforts at the local level. And here to make her own case for this, Milwaukee, please welcome your next state senator!

[Joseph Cao]

[The Federalist Party of Michigan yesterday held a general campaign event in Dearborn headlined by the gubernatorial candidate as well as (both physically and virtually present) candidates for state legislative districts across urban and suburban Detroit. Representative Cao was among the regional Federalist leaders invited to the event, where he gave the speech shown below; this speech and others at the rally were livestreamed online and masks were worn by all in physical attendance.]

An honor to be here, people! I just want to thank your state representative here for that excellent speech on her time in office, and let me make it clear that the Federalist Party of Michigan stands fully behind her endorsed successor in one of the most pivotal races for state House taking place right here in Dearborn. Which is why it's so important for you folks to get out and vote! Or, if you're part of the at-risk population, get to your mailbox and vote! We want you all to stay safe and healthy, people, and that includes following the sound good common-sense advice of our scientists and leaders whose job it is to protect the wellbeing of Atlasians.

Of course, that's also been reflected in the outstanding work your state representatives and state senators here have done this past term. They've done their best to stay true to the communities and the people who sent them to Lansing and proposed staunchly pragmatic applications of the Federalist principles that drive us. With Federalist leadership, Michiganders will no longer have to join in cries of "fix the damn roads" – we've made infrastructure renewal a top priority of ours and our state legislators have gotten bipartisan support on bills to update building codes, propose better housing, and yes, fix the roads. Your public servants here have thus proven that political sausagemaking is absolutely worthwhile when it's employed to fix problems that you, the people and the communities of Michigan, brought to the state government's attention. And there's the value of community! It grounds the political system in a common understanding that political players are, first and foremost, players for human lives and livelihoods, and its influence leads to a better, gentler, more active and effective government for the people and by the people.

We're not just here to talk about what we've previously done, though. Fixing what we have matters less if we can't make and plan towards what we aspire to be. You know, we had an iconic industry here in Dearborn, in Detroit, in the surrounding communities; the pride of our nation and of the last century. I for one think it's a travesty that we no longer see Atlasian-made cars and vehicles out there, and the Federalist Party believes we can bring the industry forward – back to the forefront and the cutting edge of the world stage, as it fully deserves to be – by investing in electric vehicles. It's a wide-open 21st-century market; it's environmentally responsible; it'll provide hundreds of thousands of jobs for the hard workers of Dearborn and of Michigan. It's exactly the sort of innovative and creative Atlasian solution that will make our nation stronger and more effective than ever – a nation of people who embrace their differences and idiosyncrasies and press them toward the common goal of liberty and justice for all our citizens and communities; a land where Jews and Samaritans of all stripes look out for each other and help each other up. That's the hope and the future the Federalist Party of Michigan sees, and that each and every one of our candidates has a plan to work toward. Let's not stop at fixing the damn roads; let's make our own roads and our own faster, better vehicles, and let's proceed with full speed towards a brighter Atlasia.

But hey, I've talked long enough and I haven't even gotten through the plans our party has for this great state. To be fair, there's someone here who can do a much better job than me at that – am effective leader of the legislature who can claim credit for improving your infrastructure perhaps more than anyone else, a caring person to her family and friends, one of the best leaders the Federalist Party of Michigan has to offer and one who we're proud to give our wholehearted support to: it's my pleasure to now welcome the next Governor of Michigan!

[Joseph Cao]

[As part of his own reelection bid and in support of the gubernatorial candidate and various local state House and state Senate candidates, Representative Cao helped to organize a daylong series of campaign events and fundraisers in Fort Wayne and its surrounding areas, which ended with an event in Noble County where he gave the livestreamed speech reprinted below.]

Hey, Indiana! Great to see you all out here. It's a really hot August evening and I can barely hear myself over the cicadas. Could we get a sound check from the IT guys in the back, please? Maybe pump up the mic volume a little? Ah, there we go. Testing. Thanks very much.

I'd like to begin by thanking our future Governor here for that lovely speech on the struggles he and other citizens of Indiana are going through in this time of crisis, and to reiterate part of his point: he's a fellow Hoosier; he draws his paycheck from his farm and his business like the rest of you here; and as a leader in the state legislature he's always put the interests and priorities of Hoosiers ahead of politicking. And while I'm fully confident that his proven record of speaking up and fighting for Indiana will put him over the top in next week's race, I want to make it clear that he is also, at the same time, not at all an outlier in that regard. The Federalist Party of Indiana has and has always had exceptionally worthy candidates for the state legislature, for row offices, for the governor's mansion – and that's not a coincidence! We are a party that prioritizes the common man and woman and their needs; we've always fought for the underprivileged, the downtrodden, and the voiceless through our policies and through our rhetoric, as the policy pages of all our candidates this cycle can attest. We may have the letter F next to all our names, but I can promise you that if elected, we will do our best – from our Governor on down – to put partisanship for partisanship's sake behind us and to fight for every single Hoosier as we have always done.

That's something we need even more acutely now in the midst of an economic collapse and a pandemic and an unprecedented flight from industries and farms and cities here in Indiana and all over Atlasia. We Atlasians might disagree with each other over how to solve these issues, but there's no excuse to hate or wish ill upon your fellow-citizens because of them. And there's even less of an excuse for those of us in public office to play partisan games with people's lives and livelihoods in service of some nebulous goal. In Congress, I've put my head down and worked on bills and voted and reached out to constituents for their thoughts – as it all should be. The proper response to a crisis, let alone several simultaneous ones, should be to ask: "Do we have the test kits, do we have the PPE, do we have enough hospital beds, do we have enough doctors and nurses and healthcare personnel?" In the midst of two of the largest short-term crises in Atlasian history hitting us at the same time as the creeping menaces of industrial blight and climate change, this state and this region and this nation need disaster relief more than ever. What we do not need is a manufactured partisan crisis on top of the ones we're already reeling from. We don't and shouldn't welcome attempts from party apparatchiks to use our states and our great region as a glorified chessboard.

It would be easy, at this point, to pivot this to saying we need proper leadership and that you all should therefore vote for the Federalist Party up and down the ballot. But that isn't good for Atlasia, it isn't good for its citizens, and it isn't good for the guiding principles and creeds that we Federalists hold dear. Good leaders and good workers are not our exclusive province. Labor's Chancellor n1240, as would be expected of a true Hoosier, has so far done an admirable job of leading the Council in its efforts to better Lincoln's citizens. And there are unquestionably Labor officeholders and candidates here in your own state that have their own substantive, effective policies and plans to improve the state and its citizens. So what I'd like you to do instead is to go out and make your own decision: vote for the candidate you believe, from your own research and experience and heart and gut, will fight for you and for Indiana. Go out and be active citizens: speak up and be a servant for your community; get involved in initiatives for the issues that affect you; run for local or regional office. And in doing so, you will make that much progress towards fixing the problems that ail this state and this nation, because leadership doesn't happen in a vacuum and even the most capable leaders aren't action heroes who can solve your problems single-handedly. As the Federalist Party and its candidates believe: solving a crisis that affects you requires your help.

And one of the people who did just that – who saw a crisis in her community, who ran for local office, the current mayor of Albion and a candidate for the state legislature – is here this evening to tell you how and why she did it. Folks, please join me in welcoming your next state representative!

[Former Lincoln Assemblyman & Lt. Gov. RGN]

Endorsed!

[Joseph Cao]

[In the final days before the midterm elections, Representative Cao was observed making a largely-off-the-record four-day tour of Lincoln to speak with his constituents. This included his attendance of a Federalist GOTV effort in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he spent several hours mingling (in a socially distanced manner) with voters and gave the speech below to close the event before attending a public fundraiser in the city with local party leaders and candidates.]

A big round of applause, please, for your state senator, and may he and other Federalist candidates all over Wisconsin and Atlasia enjoy smashing elections this week and next! Now, before I begin – do I hear someone groaning? Don't worry, folks, I'll try to keep this brief.

Before I begin in earnest, I just want to say it was a pleasure bumping into Poirot yesterday in Fond du Lac and listening to his plans for the Liberals in Wisconsin. I'm sure you've all heard of the Lake Michigan bike trail by now. And I gotta say, as an Illinoisan, I'm not the right person to comment on whether Wisconsin will take him up on the offer, but I hope my fellow Feds across the border can get behind the idea as part of the Lincoln Federalists' multi-year plan to improve and augment our regional infrastructure, and I hope you'll give the idea some consideration as well. It's funny that Poirot brought that up to me first, in fact, because I happen to love cycling. I cycled a lot around my home town of Bloomington–Normal and along the roads of central Illinois prior to my election to Congress; it's been a great way to stay fit and continues to be even during this pandemic, because it's an outdoor exercise that make everyone get the heck out of your way if they don't want to be sent flying. Flippancy aside, I think there's an analogy to be made between bikes and Atlasia.

In my time participating in politics, I've seen lots of my fellow Federalists and others to my right speaking up about the concept of liberty and its central role in our system of government. At the same time, there's been much talk from people to my left about justice for the ordinary man – social justice, economic justice, environmental justice, and the like. And there've been people on the fringes, hopefully excluding the vast majority of my fellow participants in politics, insisting that either of these is the be-all end-all of our political system, that we must prize this or that above all else, or that Atlasia will go down the drain without prioritizing one or the other. I suppose you good folks know me well enough by now to guess that my opinion on this is fairly different, and you'd be right, because guess what it says in that Pledge of Allegiance we recite all the time, including at the flag-raising that kicked the proceedings off this morning? We shouldn't pursue liberty at the expense of justice, or justice at the expense of liberty; after all, the phrase is "liberty and justice" – and, more crucially, for all. Liberty and justice go hand in hand, and who prizes one must also cherish the other. Good government is based on a firm understanding of this principle: it appreciates the role of checks and balances in the system we designed to combat threats to either of these foundational values – or, to circle back to the analogy, either of the wheels that keep the bicycle of Atlasia moving forward, without either of which it would most assuredly fall.

And what makes this good governance visible in the lives of the citizens whose liberty and justice it is meant to preserve? If I could be permitted to further butcher my metaphor, I took some liberties with that bit about the wheels earlier. It isn't just the wheels that keep the bicycle of Atlasia moving forward, because if we had just the wheels we wouldn't have a functional bicycle. All those gears and pedals and chains – not to mention the frame, handlebars, and seat – make sure all the energy of everyday Atlasians is channeled into lifting this nation ever upward. And, crucially, all of this stuff is out in the open for the cyclist to see. Does that make it much more exposed to the rain and mud and other elements than if it was covered up? Of course, and the state of my bicycle is a testament to that. But that also makes it much easier to fix if anything in the bicycle's workings goes wrong, or becomes stuck, or gets out of alignment. Which is why I and other Federalist candidates all across Wisconsin and the nation have and will always continue calling for greater government transparency. The government and its workings and impacts need to be a visible, observable presence to the people it serves.

You know one way to do that? Get involved. Go run for something, as so many of you here are doing this election; how local the office is doesn't matter as long as you're driven to make change and to stand up for your community. Inform yourself and those around you about how government works at all levels, rather than swallowing Deep State conspiracy theories. Even if you do run – and especially if you don't run – support those around you who are, particularly the new and first-time candidates on the local and federal levels! They are absolutely to be commended. And, of course, if you're looking to support candidates who will always keep true to their communities and constituents; who have a clear and principled vision for the nation; who will put their head down and work towards that moment when all of Atlasia will be able to sing with new meaning "My country, 'tis of thee; sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing"— …well, you've got no shortage of Federalist candidates here in Wisconsin and for the federal House and Senate who fully deserve your support.

Thank you all for your kind words and support these past few days, folks; I will be facing you all again very soon, in about thirty hours, as a name on your ballot for House, and I do hope you'll make an honest evaluation of my hopes for a second term. Good luck with your decision, citizens. Be well.

[Joseph Cao]

[Shortly after visiting a healthcare facility in Grand Rapids yesterday and talking to workers there, Mr. Cao was invited to give the opening speech at a livestreamed and socially distanced general rally for Federalist state House and state Senate candidates across western Michigan, reprinted below for public release.]

Evening, Grand Rapids! Thank you all for showing up, even if most of you are here virtually, and thank you especially for turning out last weekend and making your voices heard in an historic federal election! Labor hasn't felt the electoral heat in far too long and we're very much aware of what it means for our party to be back on the congressional stage. Rest assured that the Federalists will do our level best to continue looking out for you all during the next session of Congress.

Of course, that is all secondary to what we're all gathered here for this fine breezy evening – though also more relevant than you might initially think. We wouldn't be at the present state of affairs without the very evident influence of the Democratic Alliance in regional and federal elections over the past couple of months. Enough influence, it seems, that Labor and DA leaders have been the mutual targets of pretty strong language over the past few weeks. Now, this really is a rather concerning development for all of us Atlasians; I've said before that while I may be a member of a political party, I do the best I can and I've encouraged people I meet to do the best they can to take off their partisan blinders as much as possible and engage with people across the aisle as human beings and as fellow-countrymen and -countrywomen rather than as Soulless Party Member #1729. I have my policy disagreements – as do most of you here, I'm sure – but there needs to be a point where we all acknowledge that no political party is going to turn the entire nation into a graveyard if elected, no political party is responsible for every single COVID-19 death resulting from school reopenings, and no one political party has a monopoly on bad policies. For that matter, no single party has a monopoly on good policies, either! Elected officials are never elected in a vacuum; they always have to work with others, often of different political stripes, and to work with and alongside such fellow elected officials in a manner that truly benefits the people whose needs and voices they were all elected to represent is to acknowledge that each side has something to offer. That's how politics is supposed to work. That's how it works at its best! It's not "my way or the highway" and it never should be. I recognize this. My party leadership recognizes this. Our local candidates for Governor and for the state legislature recognize this, which is why your Federalist state legislators have been so effective in office. I suppose one question you all could go out and ask others you know, people who support Labor or the DA or the Liberals, is whether or not they recognize this – what it means to participate in politics, and what all these arguments are for in the first place.

Which brings me to my next point. There was a speech by Councillor Ninja recently where he pointed at the Michigan State Capitol and talked about the importance of state and local legislatures and their impact on Michiganders' everyday lives. Now I can't claim to know how his audience reacted, but it's a little odd that DA's leaders seem to think this needs pointing out – it's a fact of life for us in the Federalist Party and for those to whom we've reached out that local stuff matters and that this is where the lasting change actually happens, the change that actually affects the overwhelming majority of citizens and their daily activities. Later on you'll hear from state representatives and state senators who will tell you what they did in this regard and how they did it – writing and passing bills to support small businesses smarting from the financial blow of COVID-19, to lift up underprivileged kids and give them a fair shake in society, to make sure the next generation of leaders has access to quality K-12 and college education – all of that, as the Councillor correctly said, happens in that room.

So to all you undecided voters watching this, to all of Michigan, I ask a question. The Federalist Party has said exactly this for years. We've stressed over and over the importance of your vote and your voice as it pertains to state and local politics, we've delivered again and again for this state, and all of this has remained unchanged on our end. Now the Democratic Alliance is saying exactly the same thing, without the experience and the time spent working for Michiganders. So why vote for the DA – or Labor or the Liberals or the Greens, for that matter – when you can vote for the party that's had this message all along and the results to show for it? Other parties have talked about roads still not being fixed and blamed each other. Meanwhile, Federalist members of the state House and state Senate have worked behind the scenes to actually get funding and planning for this endeavor into state budget after state budget. Which side has actually done more for you, and which side therefore deserves your vote?

Quite frankly, I think the choice is extremely clear – all our candidates here tonight are qualified and ready to continue the good work our current Federalist state legislators have begun and get to work for Michiganders on day one. But don't take my word for it. Here this evening, and coming up next, is the state representative who actually wrote the d*mn infrastructure bill I just referred to, who's now running for state Senate and is locked in a close race, who needs every vote we can get. Please give her a warm welcome, Grand Rapids!

[Joseph Cao]

[Yesterday, following his attendance of an open fundraiser with local party leaders in Fitchburg, Mr. Cao was invited to give a speech at an event on the outskirts of Madison, Wisconsin, to introduce the Federalist gubernatorial candidate. Other candidates for state legislature were also in either physical or virtual attendance and all public health guidelines were strictly enforced.]

Thank you. Great to be here in Madison, and thank you all, folks, for taking the proper health precautions before entering. I'm sure you all have seen the recent COVID-19 report and the small drop in infections here in Wisconsin. There's been great progress made, but it of course bears reminding that "contained" does not mean "conquered", that an outbreak is still very likely if people begin to relax their guard, and therefore that we strongly encourage everyone to continue being vigilant. Maintain social distancing; keep wearing your masks! There's a reason we still have these guidelines in place, including at this event, because every one of us needs to continue doing our part. All the candidates and state legislators here today, we each carry a little bottle of hand sanitizer with us and we use it as often as we can; we wash our hands; we don't touch our faces. We want to make it clear here that we candidates of the Federalist Party practice what we preach, and we do so because we care about you and your wellbeing.

COVID-19 has made us all afraid – and justifiably so. But these little precautions we all take because we treat our fellow citizens as human beings, the courtesies that show we still look out for one another, those aren't motivated by any such negative emotion as fear. Those come from a much deeper and more fundamental part of us: the part that gives us the ability to empathize, the part that keeps families and communities together, the part that spoke through the Founders' pens when they set down on a certain document the self-evident truth that all of us are created equal – the part of us that speaks in the language of hope rather than that of fear. That's the part we need more of in politics. The small precautions that anyone can take, and that you all spent a few minutes today to take, will be the main reason Atlasia ultimately faces down this crisis and moves past it just as it's faced down wars and depressions and unrest over the past hundreds of years. The hopes we have for our own situations, for our families' wellbeing, for our friends' and neighbors' and nation's futures are what have always moved us forward as a nation. And fear-based politics doesn't motivate anyone to change for the better. Why should it? Fear is a fundamentally defensive reaction. If we want to actually drive constructive change for this state and for this region and for Atlasia, we need something else.

And it always starts, as we Federalists have said before, with the individual and with your interaction with your family and community. The type of social and political development we need is and will always be more achievable and visible at a local level, precisely because that is the stage where the individual can most easily stand up and be heard. At the local level it is obvious, in a way that isn't on the national level, that your voice matters. At the local level, you can better understand the humanity that drives political discourse rather than generalizing entire communities and regions. Fear-based politics is totally anathema to such a setup – taken to an extreme, it seeks to drive a wedge into the community, into the family, between individuals. It contributes nothing to the very people who promulgate it and even less to those who hear it; it exacerbates the already huge problems in our society; and it's the equivalent of throwing an anvil to a drowning person. So I'm rather puzzled by the allegation that we're driven by any sort of fear, of voters or progress or otherwise, because it goes against nearly all of who we are as a party. We've always tried to listen to our communities and find workable solutions to their problems. The nebulous concept of "real change" tossed around every election doesn't fit well with the variegated patchwork of communities and local needs we actually have here in Wisconsin and in Lincoln and across Atlasia, which is why it has stayed exactly that – a concept. Not reality.

Not the reality each and every one of our state representatives and state senators has worked towards improving and building up during their time in the state Capitol across town. Not the reality our candidates grew up in and know from the ground up and have built a relationship with over the years: house by house, community by community, precinct by precinct, human life by human life. Not the reality where every one of our candidates for local office has a plan for their own community and their own constituency, and differences are welcomed because we know that different communities need different solutions to their problems if these solutions are to be positive and effective – ones that only those who know the ground well could come up with. And not the reality, Madison, in which I am honored to now yield the stage to a dedicated public servant who holds the families and communities of Wisconsin dear to heart, who will now go into detail on his plans for this great state, and who will always fight for every one of you. Please welcome your next Governor!

[Joseph Cao]

[On a final push across the state before voting day, Representative Cao attended an open fundraiser with the Federalist gubernatorial candidate and city and county party leaders in Carmel, then joined a number of state representatives and state senators in holding a series of public discussion forums with concerned citizens in towns across southern Indiana. The following speech was delivered to conclude their stop in Terre Haute.]

Good evening, everyone, and my sincere thanks to you all for being willing to listen to me talk once again. I know events like this can be boring for audiences who have to listen to us all talk about policy, but it's a necessary part of politics – knowing what your candidates for local office aim to do if they win and what they've already done for you. And we try not to rile people up. I've said before that making folks angry about their fellow-countrymen is about the most counterproductive thing you can do if your goal is to help your fellow-countrymen, as everyone's goal should be if they're participating in the political process. Because, and this will bear repeating, politics is a human endeavor. Not one conducted by faceless political organizations who couldn't care less about the very constituents they talk about helping. That's why the candidates I've been on the trail with today, all those I've met here and in other states across Lincoln, we've tried our best to campaign on the results the Federalist Party has delivered at the local level – at the human level, where each life and livelihood matters.

Lately there have been been attempts to nationalize the discussion of Indiana's issues and those in other states. And quite frankly, I think that's a shame, because it does a great disservice to you all – the folks who are supposedly the target of such attempts – and to the things you hold dear. The sort of campaigning you all have doubtless seen elsewhere isn't aimed at resolution of the problems affecting you and your community. It amounts to an erasure of people's voices and putting words in their mouths; words that conveniently are always the precise ones that support a ginned-up narrative. I don't think I'm any sort of a prominent voice at the national level by any means, and I doubt others here can claim to be one. But that all changes for state government, for local government, for the thousand and one little things that affect the everyday lives of all of you on your commute and in your neighborhood and around your state; at these levels, your community is an institution in which you have a say. At these levels, your voice matters and will be heard exactly as much as everyone else's, politicians and non-politicians alike. At these levels, it becomes much harder to believe a political system built on smears and narratives, because you don't see smears and narratives walking past you on the street or queueing at the counter or hammering out electricity regulations in the town council. Instead, it becomes much easier to see that politics here is built around ordinary people and their voices. As it should be.

And the Federalist Party has always prioritized you and your communities because we understand what it truly means for every voice to matter. Our candidates make their policies and initiatives clear because that's the only way for you all to make informed decisions about how you can best use your voice and your vote. We trust you to do so. We trust you to participate in the political process responsibly and to think for yourself rather than mindlessly believe whatever new narrative is bouncing around online or out of the TV or the radio. We Federalists know we aren't entitled to anyone's vote; and knowing that, we do the best we can to reach out to towns and workers and folks all across Indiana, to get their feedback and their concerns, and to find policy solutions that best work for each community. We certainly don't dump random strings of words into a spin machine, pull out a narrative, air it across every state in Atlasia without regard to what each community's real concern is, and call it a day.

That's because, fundamentally, we believe that actions speak louder than words. The actions our state representatives and state senators have taken, the very tangible help they've offered and are bringing to communities like yours around this state: those matter, and they won't suddenly stop or be reversed just because someone says they don't. Our actions here on the state level, in service of all Indianans and of all the communities where our candidates and legislators grew up, they talk. And the action each and every one of you all will take in front of a ballot box just a few days from now, that talks. So make it matter, because it's your decision – not ours.

My thanks to everyone once again for coming, and please get a good night's rest before voting day. Dave bless you all. Keep safe.

[SevenEleven]

Your speeches are great and inspired me to pursue my own. I'm not quite as good yet, but hopefully I will get there.

I am excited for this new dynamic!

[Joseph Cao]

PRESS RELEASE: REP. CAO PRESENT IN WISCONSIN FOR FINAL HOURS OF ELECTION

RACINE, WI. — Representative Cao spent the final hours of the August election in the Racine–Kenosha area of Wisconsin, "a short hop across the border", with state representatives and the state Senate candidate for Racine. The company began the day with a public GOTV event near the Kenosha lakefront organized by local party volunteers, which was followed by a spirited question-and-answer session regarding environmental and economic initiatives and criminal justice reform. Both events were livestreamed online. The gubernatorial candidate was also in attendance live from Federalist campaign headquarters in Madison and concluded the session with a spirited call for reform to law enforcement on the state and county level, pledging to weed out corruption and wasteful spending and install less escalatory policing practices to avoid further deadly or injurious confrontation between the police and the policed.

The GOTV event was later taken over by the Federalist state representative for Kenosha, who arrived later in the session after presenting her condemnation of the police officers' actions with regard to Jacob Blake at an emergency sitting of the state legislature. Representative Cao, who gave a brief speech immediately following her, praised the bipartisan resolution as "a proper and fitting first step towards repairing the severe breach of trust between our police force and our citizens", outlined previous Federalist administrations' efforts to combat the issue in Nyman and in the White House, and expressed hope that more substantive action would be taken quickly. He alluded to a bill that was currently being written and co-sponsored by the state senator for Racine which would address the issue following input from community representatives of all parties and exhorted citizens to get out to vote, urging them to fulfil their constitutional duty even as Federalist legislators were fulfilling theirs, and reminding Wisconsinites that the Federalist Party had been an early and active presence in the state and had a proven record of caring about the animating issues of communities like Racine–Kenosha.

Polls are currently open but will close very shortly.

###

[Joseph Cao]

Summary of activity in the 25th Congress:

Bills introduced/sponsored:
HB 24-20: Appalachian Region Development Act
HB 25-05: Employer COVID-19 Liability Limitation Act

Amendments introduced:
Modifying Section III of the Video Game Ratings Restructuring Act
Funding for the Appalachian Region Development Act
Scheduling Changes for the Red-Green New Deal

Votes:
For Speaker of the House: 1. Encke 2. Elcaspar
Vote on amendment to the Repeal of the Federal Assault Weapon and Automatic Weapon Ban Act: Nay
Final Vote on the Data Protection Act of 2020: Aye
Final Vote on the Coin Composition Act: Aye
Final Vote on the CHONKYFIRE Act: Aye
Vote on amendment to the Video Game Ratings Restructuring Act: Aye
Final Vote on the Video Game Ratings Restructuring Act: Aye
Final Vote on the Appalachian Region Development Act: Aye
Final Vote on the Protect and Expand Social Security Act: Abstain
Final Vote on the NO INSIDER TRADING Act: Aye
Final Vote on the Covering for our Citizens Act: Aye
Final Vote on the Hate Crimes Prevention Act: Aye
Final Vote on the Employer COVID-19 Liability Limitation Act: Aye
Final Vote on the National College Access Act: Aye
Cloture Vote on the Repeal of the Federal Assault Weapon and Automatic Weapon Ban Act: Nay
Vote on amendment to the Repeal of the Federal Assault Weapon and Automatic Weapon Ban Act: Aye
Cloture Vote on the Red-Green New Deal: Abstain
Cloture Vote on the Federal Initiative System Amendment: Aye
Final Vote on the Repeal of the Federal Assault Weapon and Automatic Weapon Ban Act: Aye
Final Vote on the Red-Green New Deal: Nay

Statements on the floor:
Regarding the Covering for our Citizens Act
On Section V of the Red-Green New Deal
On problems with Section III of the Video Game Ratings Restructuring Act
On Ted's proposed amendment to the Appalachian Region Development Act
Once more on the CfoC Act
Note on funding the ARD Act
Responding to concerns on the Employer COVID-19 Liability Limitation Act
Responding to concerns on the ECOVIDLL Act, part deaux
Reservations on the Hate Crimes Prevention Act
Statement on the Federal Initiative System Amendment

Statements off the floor:
On Federalist diversity (Speech in Aurora, IL)
On the Independent Man (Speech in Providence, RI)
On Federalist ideals (Speech with Brother Jonathan in Concord, NH)
On the necessity of voting (Speech in Peoria, IL)
On the human face of government (Speech in Bloomington–Normal, IL)
On community spirit and its effects (Speech in Milwaukee, WI)
On Federalist solutions to Michigan's problems (Speech in Dearborn, MI)
On rejecting partisanship for partisanship's sake (Speech in Albion, IN)
On liberty and justice (Speech in Green Bay, WI)
On how politics should work (Speech in Grand Rapids, MI)
On fear and hope (Speech in Madison, Wisconsin)
On nationalization versus community (Speech in Terre Haute, IN)

Office press releases:
Visit to New York City
NPC campaigning in Racine–Kenosha, Wisconsin

For the 26th Congress and beyond, I will be updating my activity using the congressional tracker in my original post.

[AustralianSwingVoter]

As Speaker will you be appointing a Deputy?

[Joseph Cao]

As Speaker will you be appointing a Deputy?

Once the results are certified and within a couple of days, yes.

[Anna Komnene]

Congratulations on your new office Mr. Speaker. I'm sure you'll do great.

[Joseph Cao]

[On the opening night of the Federalist campaign in New York, Representative and Speaker-elect Cao joined the incumbent Federalist mayor of New York City, the gubernatorial candidate, and assorted candidates for the state legislature in races across Manhattan and the Bronx in a masked and socially distanced general rally in City Hall Park near the southern tip of the borough. Mr. Cao was introduced by the mayor, whose speech touched on his record thus far in City Hall and the potential for like-minded Federalist candidates across the state to serve their constituents in the same manner.]

Thank you, Mr. Mayor! Thank you all, New York City, for coming out tonight! And apologies for being a little out of breath. Quite apart from having the opportunity to talk to all of you here at this moment, just fifteen minutes ago I was still on the train en route from Nyman where we've just concluded our Speaker vote earlier today. And thanks to you all, and your votes in the elections of the past months, I'm honored to accept an additional role as a public servant and serve as the next Speaker of the House! Never forget that your vote matters, and never forget that it's your main voice at all levels of government, because it has massive consequences – not just for you, but for the rest of your community and your nation.

You know, on the ride up from Nyman, I got to thinking about the last time I did this – the last time I had the chance to come to New York City: six weeks ago at the height of the mayoral election. July was a genuinely fun campaign for all of us, I think; the best possible sort of campaign where the politicians learn as much from voters as the voters do from politicians, and it was the interaction and the connection we had on the ground with you all that sticks with me even now and that put my friend here in City Hall. And in the time since, he's put his words into action – much-needed help to small businesses and restaurants during this ongoing crisis, a renewed push to simplify regulations, calling attention and response to fraud and missteps at all levels of local and regional government, and more besides. Talk is cheap, as they say; I think the talk we made back then, in our speeches and during the campaign, has given way to what actually counts: action, and lots of it.

A previous Governor of New York once said that we campaign in poetry but govern in prose. It's become a pithy summary of the disconnect between what politicians say and what they do, and it's all too easy for us up here onstage to fall into that trap. But our campaign back then, on the contrary, was very firmly focused on the prose and light on poetry: we went straight to the point with you all, and we laid out our plans fully for you to consider, because even back then – in the doldrums of election season, back when Mr. Poirot and I were the only leaders campaigning here in New York and in the region, back when I was a newly elected freshman – I and all the others on that campaign didn't take voters for granted. You all are perfectly capable of making your own decisions in the political sphere. Politicians, as public servants, shouldn't have to browbeat voters into supporting them if their record is one that their voters support and want.

So, New York, the decision falls to you once again: in just over a month we've made strides towards supporting you all in NYC with a municipal government that cares about you and your needs. What we've done for New York City, and what we continue to do, we can do for New York State. We'll run on our record and on the issues that affect New York, as politicians everywhere really ought to do, because being honest with you all – in defiance of the twisted "poetry" so many other campaigns engage in – is the best and truest (and only) way for you to be honest with us, your public servants, and the job we're doing and those we want to do. You'll see more of this over the next weeks, but for now allow me to let one of these fine public servants make his case for himself. Please welcome your next Governor!

[Joseph Cao]

[A hastily-recorded video of Mr. Cao, apparently taken from a backstage hallway, was posted to the candidate's official Twitter account shortly after the conclusion of the NYC rally and was promptly retweeted by the California Federalist Party and other Federalist chapters. The Representative's office would release this as an official statement, but, well, we think the video better communicates the office's general feeling of disappointment.]

[CROSSTALK]

CAO [addressing camera]: Folks. This really should go without saying, but here we are. I am a constitutionally elected public servant, elected by citizens from across Atlasia who trusted me enough to vote for my candidacy, and part of this job – serving in a branch of government tasked with upholding the Constitution – is to always be open and honest about what I say and do. I'm a public figure and my words carry weight. Which is why it really really stings to have just gotten off stage after delivering a speech about being honest with voters, being honest with the ordinary hardworking Atlasians who we serve, and be presented with the news that my fellow representatives are, in contrast, outright lying about me and my other non-Labor colleagues.

[papers rustling; staffers passing behind the Representative]

CAO: I do not usually use language of this sort, especially not with my friends and those I know. But I trust, as I mentioned in my nomination speech for the Speakership, that my colleagues understand the standard of conduct which Congress deserves. I trust that Representative FalterinArc is aware that the Federalist Party does not want to "just cut taxes for the rich," never has, and never will. I trust that Representative SevenEleven is aware that not a single one of our federal or state officeholders has ever expressed a wish to deport illegals or cut off business with Mexico, nor have they introduced legislation to that effect. I trust that the both of them, as responsible legislators, have read the House legislation introduction thread and can see that the legislation proposed thus far by my non-Labor colleagues bears no relation to anything they have fearmongered against and, in some cases, directly contradicts their claims.

If the Labor Party believes its best course of electoral action in a heavily Labor-leaning city is to campaign against tax breaks for the middle class and reduction of childcare costs, they are of course welcome to do so. But, again, words have consequences. I won't be torn up about it if they stand by their statements, and nothing in my interaction with them as a fellow representative and as Speaker will change. But trust is a rather fragile thing at times.

Our politics would be better off without these frankly disgusting smears, and I hope that you all listening take that to heart. It doesn't do any of us any good. Least of all the elected representatives who are supposed to solve the problems that this poisonous atmosphere has helped to metastasize. Thank you all, and may you have a better evening than I did.

[The video ends.]