Democratic Alliance (+Allies) Local Campaigning Thread

[Pericles]

Lol Beeman. I have been very clear that I identify as a a capitalist, but I believe the government needs to step in to rectify market failure. I'm an opponent of unregulated capitalism not capitalism itself.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

RALLY
Marion Square, Charleston, SC

Charleston marion square2
AudeVivere / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)
Marion Square, looking Northeast from the center. Attendance was capped at 1000 people to allow for social distancing, and masks were required.

Good afternoon Charleston!

cheers

Man, I missed that. The past few days have been pretty lonely without seeing y'all.

We stand here today in one of the many historic sights here in Charleston. The South Carolina State Arsenal is right to the north, and we have monuments here, though I will admit that who they're dedicated to is... unsavory. But what I'm saying is we have a lot of history here. Both good and bad.

And we need to look to our history for a solution to one of the biggest issues facing small towns and even big cities like Charleston across our state. Transportation.

Now, you may wonder how I'm suddenly a big expert on this topic, and I'm not. That's why I've asked a very special guest to come join us today. He's served as a Senator and as a Representative, he's been in leadership of several parties, and he's served our nation as the Secretary of Internal Affairs. He grew up in this state, and most of all, he's a great friend.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Councillor Ninja!

cheers

[Sirius_]

Ninja's Speech in Charleston:

Hello people of Charleston! I am happy to be back in my home state today. I may have been working in Lincoln for most of my career, but South Carolina is where I got started. I even knew the former president in high school! So I of course want to see things continue to improve in my home state. Things have really been growing around here, new jobs are being added and South Carolina is becoming a very popular state to live in. That's great, but infrastructure hasn't been growing with everything else around here. I can definitely say it hasn't gotten better since the last time I was here in Charleston, especially when it comes to public transportation. You have a beautiful and historic city center here in Charleston, but it isn't easy to get here and enjoy everything this city has to offer. I'm sure you all know that interstate 26 is the main way into here, and I'm sure you all know how crowded it gets. The same can be said for the other routes in, even the Ravenel bride struggles despite being a massive and impressive piece of infrastructure. What alternative is there to get around? Not much for most people. But it wasn't always like that. There was public transport galore here in Charleston a century ago.

Councillor Ninja presents a large image depicting a streetcar passing by the St. Michael's Church in downtown Charleston. As you can see here, Charleston once had its own network of streetcars for the residents to use to get around the city, running as far as North Charleston's naval base. People will tell you that building such a thing here would be impossible, yet they did it over a hundred years ago, when Charleston wasn't nearly as populous and prosperous as it is now! Almost every notable population center in America once had a streetcar network of its own, but they were systematically torn apart in the mid 20th century. And look where it has gotten us. I say, lay down those the tracks again! Put up those catenaries again! We need more efficient transportation in our cities.

Councillor Ninja presents another large image, this time an old passenger railway map of South Carolina. As you can see here, passenger rail once dominated this state. Rail lines criss-crossed all over South Carolina, connecting all of the major cities and smaller towns. People today will call this idea laughable, but this was over a hundred years ago! And what did we do? We eliminated all these services. When the automobile came to market, we decided that they were all that mattered. And look where it got us. Traffic piling up, pollution everywhere. We took a step backwards. Most of the lines that you see in this map still exist to this very day, but they aren't being used for passenger service, or worse, not used at all. We could restore almost all of this map easily. So let's do it! Let's make a change! Let's vote for the people who are willing to try something new; or in this case, something old again. Vote Democratic Alliance in your local elections!

I didn't want to post the images directly because of copyright concern, but here are the links, to prove that the things I mentioned are in fact real.

Here is Jon Bell's website where you can see pictures of streetcars in Charleston and throughout the south.

Here is the old rail map of SC provided by HawkinsRails.

[Sirius_]

Lol Beeman. I have been very clear that I identify as a a capitalist, but I believe the government needs to step in to rectify market failure. I'm an opponent of unregulated capitalism not capitalism itself.

17. A national energy policy should place the needs of the many in a changing planet ahead of mere profit. The government should act to establish collective ownership of energy by the creation of an Atlasian Energy Authority founded on the principles of democratic governance and local control.

18. The government should act to establish collective ownership of the railways.

20. Large banks should be broken up and a public bank should be established in each region.

23. The means of production should belong to the workers who use them.

24. The Labor Party is a democratic socialist party.

These are all from the Labor party platform.

[Pericles]

I believe I voted against 23 and 24. This just seems like the red-baiting that the Republican Party practises. Actually, there are areas where it is appropriate for the government to step in. In particular, if the DA wants the Atlasian taxpayer to again have to bail out too big to fail Wall Street banks, that's an argument us in the Labor Party are happy to have.

[S019]

There was sizable opposition to 18 and 23, both of which I opposed. I also opposed 24, but the text in the platform came from Tony Blair, when IRL he edited the British Labour Party's clause, after he took over, since Kinnock and Foot had dragged the party to the left. Also yes this scare-mongering about socialism seems a lot like the GOP calling Biden and Pelosi socialists, when they clearly aren't. In fact, this tactic even predates the rise of modern progressives, it was used with the original progressives, McGovern and Mondale, and then not the words "socialism," but the idea of being too far left was also used against Massachusetts Governor Dukakis in the 1988 campaign. Also, this messaging might not be as effective among Cuban-Americans in FL as it once was, as younger Cubans are much more liberal than their older counterparts, though it will take a few decades for the transformation to be complete.

[tmthforu94]

Also yes this scare-mongering about socialism...

You want to talk about scare-mongering? Your party chair recently called the Democratic Alliance bastards and said that all of Puerto Rico will die if DA comes into power. That is the very definition of scare mongering, and it is why I am optimistic that Atlasians will reject the destructive extremism plaguing our nation and vote for Democratic Alliance in the upcoming NPC elections. We're better than this as a country and as a game.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

yeah, I have great respect for MB but him saying that DA will turn the country into a graveyard was just crazy and something I was surprised about, and I lost a bit of respect for him when he did it.

[PSOL]

I would like to give a personal statement to this flier. Know that these statements are my own and in no way connected to the Green Party platform or mission in any way, as it is my personal opinion. For information on what the Green Party stands for and our goals are, we have a party platform decided democratically every convention.

Ahem...

lmao, what is this bullsh!t.

Part 1: Cuba: Cuba has greatly benefitted from the revolution. Before the control of the PCC, Cuba was a haven for drug trafficking, gambling, and exploitation of natural resources by foreign powers. The exploitation was aided by the Comprador Bourgeois of Cuba on the behalf of the United States elite, ran by middlemen of agricultural companies and the mafia. The transition to go the path of a Communist society has caused literacy to skyrocket in a short time that is among the best in the region, corruption to be drastically reigned in, income equality to be among the best in the Caribbean, and for the near elimination of homelessness and prostitution. Furthermore, compared to nations like Jamaica or Haiti, social conservative attitudes are far less entrenched in the country. Now there has been mistakes done by the Cuban government, like maintaining industry to support the needs of the USSR instead of what’s best for the economy long-term and suppression of indigenous and diasporic religious traditions of the marginalized population in Cuba, but saying that they’ve failed is a lie by a lot of metrics. I find it odd that in these conversations, no blame is put on the sanctions and policies of the Capitalist states in putting Cuba in a state of siege for so long and how some trappings of that has continued in the modern era.

Vuvuzuela: While the Bolivarian Revolution has changed Venezuelan society in what is a net positive since 2002, it can hardly be called Marxism or as strong a transition to Communism. 70% of the economic production is in private enterprises after all, and there exists Venezuelan bourgeois supporters to the Great Patriotic Pole currently in power in Venezuela. Furthermore, they have failed to provide adequate investment to other industries outside natural gas extraction before the commodities bust and attempts by the Imperial core to overthrow the government. A major net positive, aside decreasing inequality and being an ally against reactionary groups in the region, corruption has not been aptly suppressed and controlled among the current government, although it is far better than the previous situation before the Bolivarian revolution.

This flier is dumb, and should not be the main move to run against labor. I will say, in office, I will attempt to implement policies to greatly move Atlasian society to greater liberty by increased worker control, ending classism, and a general organization of society that gets the boot off our necks and rewards the elite. In doing so, I will very much avoid the pitfalls other experiences have gone under.

Oh yeah, considering Fremont is the region with most accountability to its voters and has nationalized industry, among other characteristics, it’s dumb to say that Fremont has been a failure. Not that it’s ideal now, no, but it’s doing alright and I hope to make it better going into parliament.


Now onto Labor statements...

Labor statements are also dumb too. The DA is run by competent people and driven to do good in Atlasia; like the Green Party and Labor. Now are the other two parties right in their beliefs? No, but they’re trying and merely have different sets of people and views.

We need less sectarianism and sh!tflinging in Atlasia tbh, and more debate with FACTS and LOGIC

[AustralianSwingVoter]

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=381650.msg7521206#msg7521206

The mid-campaign polling shows fantastic successes for the Democratic Alliance. In every state except DC our vote share has increased over the last two weeks of campaigning! We have increased by 11% to have a clear majority of the vote in South Carolina, we're now nearly tied with the Federalists in Michigan, and we are getting close to overtaking Labor for second in Indiana and Miami! And we've still two more weeks to further focus our campaigning and get our message out!

[Former President tack50]

After reading those mailers, I kinda wish TNF was still around and in Labor; so that the DA could see how an actual Marxist would run in Atlasia

Now seriously, Labor is not a marxist-leninist party and has never been one (or at worst, has not been one since 2015). Hell, the Green Party probably has a bigger claim to marxism than Labor, given it's PSOL and Laki who are running it.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

After reading those mailers, I kinda wish TNF was still around and in Labor; so that the DA could see how an actual Marxist would run in Atlasia

Now seriously, Labor is not a marxist-leninist party and has never been one. Hell, the Green Party probably has a bigger claim to marxism than Labor, given it's PSOL and Laki who are running it.

Well PSOL seems to be as Marxist as they come.
Laki I don't know.

[Continential]

A SPEECH IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

The Democratic Alliance is vested in you, and there are many reasons why you should vote for  the Democratic Alliance, with one being that the candidates want to make change in communities, improve the lives of people, and to have common sense programs that work. If you want that, Vote for the Democratic Alliance!

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

SPEECH
Park Circle, North Charleston, SC

City of North Charleston city hall
John Rutledge Smith / Public domain
North Charleston City Hall. Park Circle (see area) was considered too small for a proper rally and thus attendance was limited to media personnel only.

Good Morning North Charleston!

I'm here today because we need to revitalize our communities. Just a few blocks away sits Ashley Junction, a large railroad yard. So many tracks here in North Charleston are still being left to rot and go unused. Let's turn these tracks of decay into tracks of revival. If you want to bring better transportation back to our state, vote Democratic Alliance.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

SPEECH
Palo Seco, Toa Baca, Puerto Rico

Punta Salinas Beach, Toa Baja
Ishamari Drennan-Colón / CC0
Punta Salinas Beach in Toa Baca. As this was an event scheduled on short notice, only media personnel were allowed at the event. A spanish interpreter also accompanied WB.

Good evening Puerto Rico! I realize that my presence here was unexpected, but I believe that I need to speak to you all directly.

Right across the bay behind me, Governor MB, a man I hold in high regard, said to you that if the Democratic Alliance comes to power that a "cemetery will encompass our entire country".

I was as shocked as you were when he uttered those words. I lost of lot respect for MB that day, and it seems you all did too.

But I did not come here today to fearmonger, like he did. I did not come here today to spread mistruths, like he did. I came here today to say to you all that no, our nation will not become a cemetery when the Democratic Alliance comes into power. It will become a beacon of reasonable progress, a forward-thinking society. We will bring prosperity to this nation, not death. It will be the shining city on the hill that our ruling class tries to say that we are, and that we are not.

I hope that you can see through the smoke and mirrors that Labor is putting up, and that you will vote for the Democratic Alliance on August 28th.

Thank you.

[Continential]

Speech in Wasilla, Alaska

It is an outrage when Labor pushes out attack ads calling PSOL and Laki communists, when in their own platform it says, "The means of production should belong to the workers who use them.", which means that they are socialists.

I call on all of you to reject the desperate lying by Labor by voting against Labor, even if you don't vote for the Democratic Alliance, which I hope you do.

[Tamika Jackson]

Oklahoma Mailer & Billboards



Sent to Oklahoma voters and seen on billboards throughout Oklahoma.

The reverse has information on the local and statewide Democratic Alliance candidates as well as a promise to create and enforce COVID protections in schools.

[Former President tack50]

Oklahoma Mailer & Billboards



Sent to Oklahoma voters and seen on billboards throughout Oklahoma.

The reverse has information on the local and statewide Democratic Alliance candidates as well as a promise to create and enforce COVID protections in schools.

Are you seriously going to attack us for using a pre-pandemic stock picture? LMAO

[Pericles]

FFS, this is ridiculous. Firstly, it's pretty revealing that the DA's standard for good education is kids not dying. It does nothing to address the fact that the neoliberal ideology they support has failed Oklahoman kids and only Labor has the plan to unleash Oklahoma's potential. Secondly, this is blatantly lying about what the federal standards actually are. We specifically require mask-wearing in schools, and social distancing. We have been very careful in our approach, and if people have questions on our standards then please ask me so we can reiterate what our public health approach actually is. The DA's Southern delegate voted for looser social distancing than the federal standards, which is why the administration has to step in and enforce our tough, safe standards over the regional ones. The implication that Covid-19 protections do not exist in schools already is a whopper of a lie. Not only does it mislead voters but it also creates unnecessary panic among the public and makes it harder for the government to get across the actual public health messaging. Political debate requires a basis in truth, and so I am calling for the DA to take down this dishonest advertisement immediately.

[tmthforu94]

It'd be nice to have a commentary thread or something for NPC elections - this discussion has absolutely nothing to do with DA NPC campaigning and is cluttering the thread.

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

SPEECH
Pigeon Point Park, Beaufort, SC

Downtown Beaufort
Cdamgen / Public domain
Downtown Beaufort. Pigeon Point Park was considered too small for a proper rally (see area) and as such attendance was limited to media personnel only. This speech was made on August 19th.

Good Morning Beaufort!

Let's talk about a pressing issue that's facing all of us this time of year. School reopening.

I personally believe that schools should stay closed, however I also realize that teachers have been unable to get online classes up to snuff compared to in-person classes. Of course that's mostly the blame of those who waited until the last minute to tell our overworked educators that things would be online.

So we do need to reopen, but we need to do it even more carefully than what our President has been suggesting. We need to open only where we can make sure it is truly safe to do so. Some people will say that the virus "only has a 1% mortality rate". I say to them that if their kids get sick, they would be the ones to blame if their kids happened to be in that 1%.

That's why we need stricter guidelines. When stricter guidelines were attempted, the President said we weren't being open enough. When those guidelines were loosened, first by Labor delegates mind you, he said the bill was too lenient.

I say we need to be better safe than sorry. I supported the bill in its original form, although again it is a tough decision. We can't play with our children's lives.

[Sirius_]

The following ad will be placed on billboards and sent to voters as fliers in all states with local elections this month:



From this point on, Democratic Alliance will be separating itself from the bickering which has occurred recently and return to an emphasis on policy-based campaigning.

[Sirius_]

Social Distanced Speech in Oshkosh, WI

Image Link
Speech took place at Menominee Park
Masks Distributed
Attendance Limited to 500
Streamed Online

Hello citizens of Oshkosh, the Lake Winnebago area, and Wisconsin! I am very pleased to be here in this lovely town with a beautiful lakefront. You guys may have seen that social media scuffle from earlier today. It was quite a mess, and I'm glad I got myself out of that hole! I'm not even sure what it was really about. But I do know that several Labor politicians attacked Mr. Ishan, who has been working on our campaign, for seemingly random and irrelevant reasons. Talk about piling onto the little guy! Well, I for one care about the little guys of Atlasia. And that extends to cities: so many Atlasians live in small metropolitan areas, like Oshkosh, and they deserve to be taken more seriously! I've noticed that small cities often have their issues disregarded; people act like there's a height limit to certain issues. Well I come from the small city of Greenville, SC, and I remember there being traffic jams in rush hour every single day, just like the big boy cities. But it can often be harder for small cities to solve those sorts of issues, both due to people's perceptions and due to fiscal concerns. But these problems must be addressed, which is why I support policies such as the Lincoln Grants for Public Transit Act that I introduced. It would create a system for all communities to request funding for public transport projects, making it easier for small cities across Lincoln to expand their infrastructure, even if they are on a tight budget. And we will continue to support such policies, because currently small cities and towns suffer too much from poor infrastructure and services. We need to invest in all of our communities, no matter their size, so that all of Atlasia can be the best it can, and so that all Atlasians can live the best life they can. On the Federal, Regional, and State level Democratic Alliance will continue to support small cities like Oshkosh. And you can make your community better by voting for DA candidates in the upcoming local elections here in Wisconsin. Its time for a change in the way small cities and towns are treated, and we will make that change together!

[Tamika Jackson]

CAMPAIGN VISIT
Candidate on your Corner at Meijer #64 in Ann Arbor, MI

Tamika Jackson toured the store, wearing a face-mask, and met with customers and workers. At the end of the tour, she spoke to some workers and gathered customers outside the store who socially distanced.

Our frontline grocery workers are our lifesavers now. You are essential workers who are heroes during this pandemic. What you are doing here to keep Atlasians fed during an unprecedented pandemic is amazing. Yet the way we show our appreciation through pay and benefits is abhorrent. Regardless of your pay, regardless of your benefits--or the fact many of you are part-time workers and have none--you have carried on. You embody the Atlasian spirit of resilience.  It shouldn't take an economic stimulus package to even raise your wages to a universal basic income.

Recently, the Lincoln Council discussed a potential 75% Tax on Alcohol. 75%! This amendment came from the Speaker of the Council who is part of the Labor Party. Thankfully it was voted down, yet these are the types of policies that Labor is advancing.

Yes, modest alcohol taxes help pay for services right here in Michigan, yet a 75% tax would drive alcohol business across regional lines to the South and Fremont. This very store is just miles away from the University of Michigan. You sell close to $2 million in alcohol per year! We can't afford a 75% alcohol tax.

Elections at every level matters. I ask you to vote for a party that truly understands your economic perspective and doesn't just use workers as a slogan. This election, vote Democratic Alliance. Thank you all for what you are doing during this pandemic and thank you for coming to work each day to allow us to buy our groceries and alcohol. Dave bless you!

[Tamika Jackson]

TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENT
CALIFORNIA | ALASKA | SOUTH DAKOTA | OKLAHOMA | SOUTH CAROLINA | PUERTO RICO | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA | WISCONSIN | MICHIGAN | INDIANA | MIAMI

I'm an elementary school teacher...

...6th and 7th grade algebra...

...español...

I don't know about returning to school this year. You may not be able to tell, yet I have an auto-immune disorder...

...my husband is a diabetic...

...I have asthma...

The President's and Labor's plan don't go far enough to protect us from COVID. We have adults who refuse to wear a mask. Am I going to discipline kindergartners for being... kids? I can't even imagine that phone call with those parents...

The Federal regulations mandate in-person schooling for under 5% test positivity. It's simple math though, out of about 150 students that I teach, 6 are expected to catch COVID. The President finds that acceptable...

...I don't want to catch COVID. I am a mother of 3. I want to be there for my children. Being a martyr wasn't in my job description...

Which of us...

Which of us won't...

Which of us won't be here because of COVID?

I'm voting for the party that is demanding a better plan...

I don't accept incomplete work from my students, so why should we accept incomplete work from our leaders?

I'm voting Democratic Alliance.

I'm voting Democratic Alliance.

Demand more. I'm voting Democratic Alliance.

Proudly paid for by Teachers for Democratic Alliance, a traditional PAC.