Democratic Alliance (+Allies) Local Campaigning Thread

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I would like to see the great Labor TV ads.

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Vice Chairman Ninja0428 gave a speech as part of an online DA rally before election weekend which was available to watch live on Youtube and the DA website. The rally encouraged voters to turn out for local candidates and vote for new leadership.

Hello to our viewers from around Atlasia. I am happy to be speaking to you all, regardless of the medium in these trying times. I wish to speak in person soon but for now we've got to stay safe. As I hope you know, coming up this weekend are the first local election under our reorganized system. Local and state elections will be taking place in (Mr. Ninja proceeded to list the locations for elections). I'm here tonight because I want to encourage everyone to vote in their local elections. The big federal elections may be what gets all the attention, but local government matters just as much! Your local governments have direct control over services like police, transportation, parks, fire, and more, and the people and charge can really make or break your community. Its just important to vote for candidates with strong leadership qualities and a good vision for the future on the lower levels. Unfortunately, I don't believe we've had a enough of those things in our local government. In my career, I've served in many positions on different levels and branches of the government, I've seen political parties come and go, and I've experienced nearly everything. I've seen how our politics works and right now I see a system which isn't working for many of our citizens. Right now I see a government that is being dominated by one group of people, and it is taking a toll. Politicians are being elected by machines and not on their qualities. This is not beneficial for you. We need to change this! We need to vote for candidates who are ready to push new policies and who are willing to take up your needs no matter how difficult it may be. The Democratic Alliance is ready! We are ready to invest in our communities and our citizens to give everyone and everywhere a fair shot. We are ready to innovate and lead Atlasia into the future with new ideas in community planning, new ideas on the environment, new ideas for the economy, and we will not let Atlasia lag behind. We are ready to make governing a cooperative act where people of many viewpoints and of many circumstances can contribute their best ideas, and we will not reject the best ideas because of who they came from. We are ready to tackle  issues such as the difficulty in reaching rural services, uncontrolled urban sprawl, and homelessness on day one. We are ready to make the difference, and we will make the difference by voting for the Democratic Alliance and its allies this weekend.

Mr. Ninja also spent some time answering viewer questions following the speech.

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Socially Distanced Rally in Detroit

Image Link
Rally took place at Belle Isle Park
Masks Distributed
Social Distancing Enforced
Attendance Limited
Streamed Online

Mr. Ninja's Speech:

Hello everyone! I am very happy to be here in Detroit tonight with you all! I must say that this is the first time in a while I've been in a public space with this many people around. Of course, normally I would hope for better turnout than this! But of course, it is important not to spread disease right now, and the public health is my top priority here.

I'm glad to be seeing so many of the common public tonight. Honestly, its something that most politicians don't see enough of. I mean, it seems like we've had the same partisan makeup in all of our legislatures for so long now, and we've kept hearing the same things so often, but look how many gaps we still have in our country. Infrastructural problem continue to accumulate. Our education system hasn't modernized. People are still struggling, left behind on the streets. And now over 75,000 people have died. Labor will tell you that this is stable leadership. Why should we want stability in stagnation? How long do we let the cycle continue? I say enough is enough!

The Democratic Alliance has a clear plan: to revitalize our nation and bring back the opportunities for all people as intended by our founders. We will invest in infrastructure, and innovate our infrastructure. We will have a focus on efficient, modern public transportation which is healthy for the environment. Earlier today I met with DA leaders in Michigan, and we have already pledged to build new light rail lines here in Detroit and start a passenger rail service for the state of Michigan! We will provide jobs and affordable transportation to thousands, and we will work with the regional and federal governments to create a funding system. From local town buses to a national high speed rail network, we are going to build!

Everyone knows that education is a gateway to economic opportunities, but is our current education succeeding in that? Our curriculums are not changing at the rate that the rest of the world is. Not only are modern issues being glossed over, but we are operating on an outdated system which is incredibly demanding and leading to worse mental health than ever for our youth. And despite the great burden they feel, we aren't getting results compared to the rest of the world. Do you want that for your children? I thought not. The DA will explore new styles of education which are more reasonable, more successful, and incorporate modern elements. We are also forcing everyone down a narrow path, that isn't necessarily the best for all of our students. Children are being taught that anything outside of the academic university track is worth less, when that is not true! Everyone has their own unique valuable skills that they need to be able to discover and hone in. That is why we will open new trade and artistic schools here in the state of Michigan and around Atlasia, to give students the ability to choose the path that is right for them. Finally, we will offer more educational opportunities in universities and trade schools to older citizens: in particular, those who have been left behind. As I said, education is a path to economic opportunities, and a lot of people could use that help right now. Education is our future. Let's make it a bright one!

Since we're on the topic of the future, I would like to take some time to talk about the future of our leadership. Now I've been around for quite a while now, and I'm sure you've all heard of me. *General agreement from the audience* I'm starting to get up there in age now, though I would prefer to call myself experienced! And experience is a good thing, we learn from experience, and lead more effectively. But us older folk can't hog all the experience. We won't all be around forever! We can't hog the dialogue either. I am a firm believer that some of the best ideas we have are in the minds of young people, and we have to give them a chance to contribute to the discussion. At the DA we're dedicated to developing the leaders of our future, and I would like to introduce one of them today, one who will be running for the House of Representatives in the midterms upcoming. Please give a warm welcome to Beeman!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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Speech in Milwaukee

Image URL
Speech Took Place at Veteran's Park
Masks Distributed
Attendance Limited to 500
Streamed Online

Hello Milwaukee! It is of course election weekend for the federal congress, so I've been very busy, but I haven't forgotten about you! That's what Democratic Alliance is about: remembering the needs of every citizen, and putting you first above political ambition and control. For too long now, big political parties have gone uncontested and left people like you in the dust, because they didn't have to care to win. Well that needs to end, and we can end it together by making our voices heard! Democratic Alliance is committed to giving you a platform to voice your needs. Because if the political establishment won't make a change, then we will make a change. For example, here in Milwaukee you have the M-line streetcar running though downtown. That's great to get around the city center, but those who are currently in charge have made no plans to expand it. That isn't going to help you commute! But the Wisconsin DA is pledging to extend light rail in Milwaukee to the suburbs. We're ready to do what needs to be done for public transport, and that the others won't do.

Today we're a lot more conscious about the environment than we were 60 years ago. We now know that we're producing more emissions from transportation than we ever have in our history, and that the care-free, car based, detached housing developments of the 20th century contributed a great deal to this. We can't sustain to continue these practices for much longer, but what are we going to do about it? The other parties haven't said. But Democratic Alliance has made it clear what we are going to do: we are going to change the way we develop new neighborhoods so that they are walkable, organized with easy access to services, and connected to public transport. And we will introduce sidewalks and transit to existing neighborhoods. We're ready to do something new for our neighborhoods and our environment.

Economic Opportunity is something we constantly talk about, but still evades many. It isn't enough to just give people the right to participate in the economy, or to just add more jobs. Economic opportunity requires a foundation. Poverty is a spiral, that can be difficult to get out of. You lose your job, then your home, then your car. You can't get anywhere to work, you can't get an education to open more possible positions, you end up being stuck in this pit. For too long, people have been left behind in the pit. We need to lift them out. We need to provide more educational and job training opportunities for struggling adults. We need to make it easier to find jobs. We need to build more public housing, so that everyone can have some security. Democratic Alliance is ready to do something new about poverty.

Some people will complain about calling for "change", they'll say its just a platitude with no substance. But what we have now lacks substance. Democratic Alliance isn't just calling for a change, we have policy. We're ready to implement new policy, and together we will create a Wisconsin, and an Atlasia that represents you. Vote DA in your local elections next week!

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The following ad will be distributed on fliers and social media in Michigan:

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Speech in Lansing

The Speech Took Place Outisde of the Michigan State Capitol Building
Only Media Was Present

Good Evening Michiganders! Normally I prefer to have my speeches in large parks so that some people are able to attend in person while also keeping a safe distance, but I decided to do something different today. Today I am in Lansing, and you can see in the background is the State Capitol building of Michigan. It is in that building where all of the state level decisions are made. What happens in that building affects the lives of everybody in the state of Michigan. It may seem distant from you, but all kinds of things, from your healthcare bills to your morning commute, depends on what happens in the room. Which reminds me of the fact that Labor, amusingly, made an ad about how the roads need to be fixed despite having held power for such a long period of time. They never fixed it before. And yet, while we see so many roads falling apart, we also see massive new roads projects built frequently. These projects rarely help. I'm sure you've seen one of the these projects before and wondered what it's about, because you never use them. The government will laud this as a great achievement for infrastructure, but they'll never be left with the funds to improve your commuting route, or your local streets. And when you're late to work with a damaged car because of some pothole, it all goes back to what happened in that building.

Democratic Alliance has a plan to actually fix the roads: we will end useless vanity projects and use the funds to fix the major corridors that have been suffering. You won't have to wonder if that construction project will ever help you anymore, because we will get our priorities straight and invest our money in what you actually need. But none of these will change until we change who is in that building behind me. I can not stress enough how important it is to vote. I know that many of you are disgruntled with the system. You feel like nothing gets better. But it won't ever get better if you do nothing. There's a new option in Michigan lead by candidates who are ready to make a difference. These are people who have seen the failings of government just as much as you have. They're ready to make a change, so join us and vote Democratic Alliance for a new Michigan and a new Atlasia!

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Speech in Gary, IN

Image URL
Speech Took Place at Marquette Park
Masks Distributed
Attendance Limited to 500
Streamed Online

Greetings to Northern Indiana! This afternoon I'm in the city of Gary, a city of lovely people who have struggled and been forgotten for too long now. It's no secret that rust belt cities have struggled for the past few decades now, and Gary is no exception to this rule. Factories and people have been moving out for years now. It has been estimated that one third of all buildings in Gary are abandoned, and the population is less than half of what it was once. What is to be done about this? Apparently nothing according to those who have been in charge of the state of Indiana. Democratic Alliance disagrees! We plan to rebuild struggling rust belt cities into modern, sustainable cities that will set an example for the future to come. We might have lost a lot of buildings and have even more abandoned, but that will give us room to grow here in Gary. We will start by revitalizing downtown. We will transform downtown Gary into a walkable central area, where citizens can easily reach a great deal of shopping, services, and recreation. We will trade roadway lanes for expanded sidewalks in downtown, an act which is proven to attract more pedestrian traffic to an area. Greater pedestrian traffic makes the area more desirable to businesses, who will be further incentivized with tax credits for moving downtown and establishing attractive storefronts along the streets. And downtown will be connected with expanded regional public transportation, anchored at a renovated Adam Benjamin Metro Center.

The suburbs of Gary will also be reorganized. More sidewalks and pedestrian pathways will be built to make walking in the suburbs easy, and all areas will be within walking distance to small pockets of retail, recreation, and public transportation to the city. Much of Gary's suburbs are already set up well for this; they were built as streetcar suburbs, but have suffered from the lack of streetcars! Not only will these changes make Gary a more attractive place live in, but it will also provide better economic opportunities for those who currently live here. There will be more jobs in Gary, and it will be much easier to access those jobs.

We will make Gary attractive again for industry with world class infrastructure. We will improve the highway, railway, and air connections for freight to be able to get here. These are all things which Gary can easily have, we just need to upgrade them to modern standards. We will also make Gary an easy to access hub for industrial workers with municipal transit lines running to industrial centers and by increasing the speed of services on the South Shore Line railway, which is currently much slower than it ought to be! Finally, we will make these new jobs more accessible to residents of the region by creating institutions for community college and vocational education for adults who have previously been left behind, giving our citizens new economic opportunity.

This is not only a plan which can revitalize Gary, its a plan that can be applied all throughout the Rust Belt. These changes have been implemented with great results in model cities in Atlasia, and its about time we introduce them to the masses! We CAN revitalize the rust belt, and Democratic Alliance WILL make the necessary investments to improve local economies. Vote DA in your local elections for a new and bright future in your community!

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Speech in Lafayette, IN
Speech Took Place at Munger Park
Attendance Limited to 250
Masks Distributed
Streamed Online

Good evening here in Lafayette! I know its a bit unusual to see me holding two events in one day, but there isn't much time before the election, and I want to get to as much of this great state as I can. You can probably see that behind this park is an electricity substation, which reminds me of the fact that the energy grid is one of many aspects of our infrastructure which needs to be modernized. From the power plant to the home, our energy system is falling behind. Starting with power generation, we of course need to make the switch to renewable energy, to protect the environment, and to ensure that we don't use up all of our fossil fuel. It isn't unlimited after all. I will say that Atlasia has been making progress on making the switch, but I can also say that Democratic Alliance will continue to invest in green energy here in the state of Indiana. It isn't just generation which needs upgrades though. The distribution grid is old, disorganized, and too prone to failure. A modern nation needs a modern power grid to handle the great deal of electricity that we use. When we're elected, Democratic Alliance will meet with leaders in the energy industry, and create plan to upgrade our grid with the experts, and we will offer fiscal incentives to the industry to implement the plan for modernization. We can't afford a statewide, or let alone nationwide, power failure in the year 2020. So let's fix the grid before it happens!

Old, disorganized, and too prone to failure. You know, those three things could be said about all sorts of infrastructure in Atlasia. And we hear that a lot, but when does it ever change? We get told about how bad our infrastructure is every election by every politician, every party, but it never seems to get better by the next campaign. And it gets used in the campaigns again and again. Well Democratic Alliance is a different party. We're a new party, made up of individuals who are sick of the talk, and want something to change! We know that we need to invest much more into our infrastructure, but the politicians of old won't do it. What's so scary about it? Well I'm not afraid to say that we do need to spend more on infrastructure, and I'm not afraid to spend more. And I'm not afraid to tell you how we're going to do it. Just like how I told you exactly what we're going to do about energy, we have detailed plans made out. You can find more at our website, democraticalliance.com. The bottom line is, Democratic Alliance knows what we need to do, we know how we're going to do it, and we aren't afraid to do it. Vote DA for a government that will work for its citizens and get infrastructure reform done!

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Speech in Evansville, IN
Speech Took Place at Kleymeyer Park
Attendance Limited to 500
Masks Distributed
Streamed Online

Good afternoon Evansville! Right now I'm almost as far south as it gets in Lincoln, and I must say that its pretty different from the Indiana I was in yesterday. It crazy how much difference there can be in what part of the country, and even what part of the state you're in. That's why local government matters so much, because its hard to know what issues are facing every part of the country when they can be so different. For example, I almost thought that I would have to severely cut the number of attendants to this speech because I was struggling to find a good open park to hold it in. When you look on Google Maps, it seems like over half of the "green" spots here are country clubs and golf courses! That might be fine for the elite, but where do the workingmen and their families go for some fresh air? The answer should be the public park, but in many cities, including Evansville, we need more public green spaces for everyone to enjoy! The Indiana DA will absolutely be expanding our public recreational land. But some politician in Manhattan might not understand that, given that they have access to Central Park. That's why local government is so important!

This can apply not only to arguably smaller scale issues like public recreation, but also to larger issues, including our largest national crisis in years, the covid-19 pandemic. Of course you could look at the national statistics, but ultimately they don't matter, because the situation isn't the same throughout Atlasia. In order to properly deal with it, we need responsible leadership on the lower levels of government. The federal government? Well it took them half a year to come up with their national alert strategy. On the regional level here in Lincoln we recently passed a bill of much needed regulations to contain the virus, written by yours truly might I add, but even the regional level is still too broad to make every decision. We may eventually repeal the regional mask mandate, but it still might be necessary in individual towns and states. Schools might be ready to reopen in Boston, but that doesn't mean that they'll be ready to reopen in Evansville. These decisions will have to be made at a local level, which is why we need to take this seriously, especially now that the President has given his approval to schools opening in Indiana despite it being on alert level 2! Democratic Alliance understands the importance of local government. A lot of people in other parties don't believe that they matter, but Democratic Alliance will provide responsible local governments, that are willing to act for their citizens. Whether it be to make decisions to keep you safe from disease, or to open new parks in your community, local DA leaders will always be working for you. So vote DA for strong leadership in your state and your community!

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While traveling to Indianapolis, Mr. Ninja took part in a nationally televised interview with MSNBC. The interview was conducted through online video conferencing from Ninja's campaign bus.

Hello Mr. Ninja, is great to have you on today! How have you been?

Well I must say that I'm getting a bit tired, but I'm still feeling great! There's barely any time left and I've been running all around the state of Indiana. I just gave a speech in Evansville, and now I'm already on my way to my next stop in Indianapolis! Not to mention that I still need to keep up with council business. I've been very busy, but its always worth it when I see the enthusiasm in my reduced size crowds, or whenever somebody tells me how excited they are for the future with DA. I know that what I'm doing is for the good of Atlasia.

What are your thoughts on the latest round of local election polling from The Acta Publica?

I must say that I'm very pleased with it! Democratic Alliance had the greatest percent gain in every single race! From the latino communities in Miami and Puerto Rico, to South Carolina where the people have made it very clear who they want in charge, to the struggling workers of the rust belt, and even in states that seem like long shots such as South Dakota, its clear where the momentum has been.

And why do you think this is?

Well I believe that the people really want a new direction in Atlasian politics, and they are seeing that the Democratic Alliance is the party for that. It turns out that, neglecting local politics isn't a good way to create enthusiasm. We have really taken up the mantle of local issues. We won't stand for continued neglect at the local level and we have laid out plans to make a difference. People are recognizing that, and they are prepared to vote for change! I must also give credit to our wonderful team who have been working on this campaign. From our national leaders to our local candidates, Democratic Alliance is full of talented and caring individuals who are fully prepared to take on the people's voice.

Moving on to the issues facing us, what role do you believe state and local governments have to play in the Covid-19 pandemic?

I believe that local government has the most important role to play in the pandemic. I'm sure we all want to get the economy going again, to get people employed again, and return to normalcy. But at the same time, we can also agree that it is important to limit the spread of this dangerous disease. The federal and regional governments can mostly certainly help us in this crisis, but not every decision can be made at the upper levels. There is no one size fits all solution, because Atlasia is a vast and diverse nation. I believe that we should be trying to slowly return to some normalcy, but different areas are at different stages of that process. It might be safe to eat out in your state, but not in the next state over. That's why its more important than ever to have responsible leadership at the local level. We need leaders who will look at the data for their region, listen to the medical experts, and decide what is right for their constituency. And that is exactly what Democratic Alliance will do.

One of the most contentious issues right now has been whether or not schools should open for in person education, so I want to know. Should schools open for the 2020-21 school year?

For the majority of Atlasia, its going to have to be a no from me. The truth is that schools are a breeding ground for disease. I'm sure that at some point you all experienced that sickness that lots of people at school got around the same time. And this virus spreads incredibly fast. One infected person enters the building, and suddenly the virus could spread students and staff, and then their families, and then their families coworkers. And while there are precautions that can be taken, there are so many people so close in schools that its still not worth the risk, especially when we have access to online education solutions. In Lincoln, I worked to set a clear guideline that positivity rates need to be under 3% to even think about opening again. Most of Atlasia isn't there yet, but I must say that, a few places are there and they may want to consider reopening. These things will have to be decided on a community basis, which is once again why responsible government at the local level is so important.

Moving on, you have spent a large portion of your campaign talking about infrastructure. Why is this so important to you?

Infrastructure is important because it holds the world together. These days, everything in our society is connected. Nobody lives alone anymore. All around the world we rely on each other, and the connections need to be strong if we're going to rely on them. People need to get places, people need access to utilities like electricity and water, people need communication lines. That's just how the world runs, and it won't run well if our infrastructure isn't strong. The unfortunate truth is that a lot of our infrastructure is not strong. Everything else is moving on, but our infrastructure lags behind, and if it doesn't keep up then eventually it will come to a breaking point. We need to build a platform for today and the future, and that is exactly what Democratic Alliance will do.

So in that case, is Democratic Alliance willing to increase spending on infrastructure?

We are willing to do that, and we aren't afraid to say that. I understand why some can be wary of increasing spending, and worry about the deficit running too high. But there is a difference between wasteful spending and investments, and infrastructure is absolutely an investment. In the long term, upgraded infrastructure will save on increasing maintenance costs, and investing in infrastructure is always good for the economy. So yes, we will spend more on infrastructure, and it will be worth it.

To wrap things up, why should somebody who has previously voted with the Labor or Federalist parties vote for Democratic Alliance in the upcoming elections?

For a long time now, we've had the same parties. For a long time now, it hasn't seemed like there has been any other choice but to pick one of them and hope they do something. But it doesn't have to be like that forever. Democratic Alliance was formed by people who felt trapped in a two party system, and decided that enough was enough. Things need to change, and instead of waiting for it to happen, we're taking it into our own hands. We have a bold vision for how we're going to make Atlasia, on all levels of government, work better for its citizens. We've had great success so far, and I believe in the movement we have created. So to anyone out there who wants to see something change in government, who is sick of the talk and is ready for Unity and Action for the benefit of the people, I encourage you all to vote Democratic Alliance!

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The following ad will be aired on television and distributed online in all states and cities with elections this month.

Person 1: A middle aged, male blue collar worker, who is currently unemployed.
Person 2: A latina immigrant to Atlasia, mid-30s.
Person 3: An older male farmer in rural Atlasia.
Person 4: A young woman just out of college, barely making ends meet.

Person 1: I want to have a job again.

Person 2: I want an Atlasian education.

Person 3: I want to know that I can reach a hospital in time.

Person 4: I want to get to work and afford to keep my home.

Person 4: But my city has no plans to build affordable public transit.

Person 3: My state has no plans to invest in any nearby towns.

Person 2: There aren't affordable around places for an older immigrant to get educated.

Person 1: There has been no economic investment or innovation in my community. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Person 3: Because there's a new party.

Person 2: A party with a plan.

Person 4: A plan to make Atlasian government work for you, from top to bottom.

Person 1: A plan to make my area attractive for new job growth.

Person 2: A plan to establish more community colleges for struggling adults.

Person 3: A plan to bridge the gap in rural services.

Person 4: A plan to upgrade and expand our transit infrastructure.

Person 3: Democratic Alliance is the party with a plan.

Person 2: Soon there will be local elections in much of Atlasia.

Person 4: I'll be voting for Democratic Alliance.

Person 1: And you should too.

All: Because we all want a brighter future!

This ad is paid for by Atlasians for Unity and Action. A Spanish dub was also produced by Alianza Democrática de Puerto Rico.

All images are taken from Wikimedia Commons (except the DA logo) and are therefore in the public domain.

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DA Rally in Indianapolis

Image URL
Rally Took Place at Southwestway Park
Several State DA Leaders Attended
Attendance Limited to 1000
Masks Distributed
Streamed Online

Mr. Ninja's Speech:

Hello, hello! I have finally made it to Indiana's wonderful capitol city! Although Southwestway might be a bit far from the city center, it is very large, so we have a great attendance. It might not be what is normally considered a large rally, but this is the most people I've seen since I was in Detroit. I'm honestly really happy to see so many people excited about voting. Sometimes I worry that people are getting disinterested in government, and that people are losing the will to vote. Its encouraging to see all of you here, but I know there are people like that out there. If that's you, I want you to know that many of the people you see at DA rallies now were once just like that. DA is a party comprised of people who are tired of the same old system and want to bring change by electing new leaders who care about you. Elections are our best method of changing things, and I hope you join us by voting this weekend!

The truth is, that local government has been neglected for too long now. Our local governments have been filled with people who do nothing, don't care to do anything, and sit in these positions of power unchallenged. Democratic Alliance is not content with that! We've seen what inaction at the state level can lead to. We've seen the results of broken promises. Every election politicians promise to fix our infrastructure, but it never happens. A couple of years ago a dam broke here in Indianapolis, lowering the level of the White River here by 6 feet and causing power disruptions I'm sure. Isn't it crazy what ignoring our problems can do? Well that's too crazy for my tastes. Democratic Alliance won't let that happen!

We need leaders who will take action for you. We need leaders who will finally fund infrastructure reform. We need leaders who will renew our cities. We need leaders will expand the economy, and give struggling citizens the tools to truly take part in the economy. We need leaders who will do something to break the spiral of poverty. And we need leaders who will safely guide us through this pandemic. And tonight, we have one of those leaders with us! It is my pleasure to introduce the next governor of Indiana, (whatever their name is).

[Sirius_]

Speech in Madison, WI
Speech Took Place at Olbrich Park
Attendance Limited to 500
Masks Distributed
Streamed Online

Good morning Madison! I must say that this is the earliest speech I've done yet, but its the last day to campaign and there's much to be done! I've noticed that in this last day, the seemingly vacant Labor Party has jolted into action. Perhaps that's because of their disastrous polling numbers as a result of their neglect? It has saddened me to see them resort to lies and deception to try to salvage their failing campaign. Just earlier today MB gave a speech in Milwaukee that was full of nonsense! They say that we're power hungry, when Labor has clung to power for 7 cycles in a row and has acted with nothing but vitriol to anyone else. They said that we're trying to put workers in harms way with the virus, but I'd like to see MB show me the "Non-essential workers must go back to work in high risk areas act" that DA supposedly passed. But most blatant of all of their lies, they have claimed to be the responsible party during this pandemic. How can they say that when it took Pericles over a month to acknowledge the virus and 6 months to release an alert system for mere suggestions? How can they say that when it was DA that legislated the vital safety regulations in Lincoln and when they gutted a school safety bill in the South to allow for dangerous in-person schooling in states where the virus is still alive and well? How can they say that when they have been running around the country holding speeches and rallies with no requirements for distancing or mask wearing like we have? How can they claim to be proven leadership when they have consistently proven their irresponsibility?

I'm sorry that I've gotten so negative, in contrast with my typical speeches. But when they lie, I must tell the truth. We are grappling with a global crisis caused by one of the fastest spreading known diseases which has killed over 75,000 Atlasians. Now is not the time for their lies! Now is not the time for leaders who will tell us that its all going fine, when it isn't! We need leaders who will put your safety above political points, and that is what Democratic Alliance is dedicated to. We will take quick action in office based on nothing but the facts in order to protect you. We will not put you at risk in the work place, and we will not risk your children in schools. We will only reopen the nation gradually as the virus recedes, and no faster! Atlasians are strong, and we can make it through this crisis. We can see the daylight again. But we must put our strength to work at the voting booth by electing responsible leaders who care about your life. Vote DA for real leadership in a crisis!

[Sirius_]

Ninja's Campaign Launch Rally
New York, NY
Rally Took Place at Sheep Meadow, Central Park
Masks Required
Attendance Limited to 1000
Streamed Online

Hello New York! Its that time again for us to start a new round of local campaigning, including here in the city and state of New York. Last month we saw some very encouraging results. I must say that I was greatly impressed by the number of seats we won across Atlasia. We have created a movement of citizens who made it clear that we will not stand for continued neglect of our local issues, that we will not stand for machine politics, that we will elect new leaders who care about you, and we aren't stopping anytime soon! Whether it be rooting out corruption and inefficiency in the MTA here in New York City, bringing infrastructure up to par in medium cities like Albany, or ensuring that there's emergency services in the close vicinity of all of our small towns, Democratic Alliance will continue the fight for competent leadership on the state and local levels. We will never stop working tirelessly for you.

The people in charge now will tell you that everything is fine and that they're doing their job the best they can, but I must wonder how that can be. How can that be when people are commuting 2 or 3 hours a day here in New York because they're stuck up in traffic or because the subway is seemingly under constant construction with no progress being made? How can that be when there are still people begging on the streets in midtown, lost in life and constantly pushed out and punished by the state instead of being helped? How can that be when our children are collapsing under the weight of modern pressures, many draining their souls to get into an increasingly brutal college market only to plunge themselves into debt and still not get a decent job, fueling this cycle of poverty? If this is what they call fine, then I shudder to think of what bad must be!

Its clear that this can not continue, and we don't have to let it continue! We have been blessed with voting, a powerful tool of accountability. We can remove those people who aren't helping you. We can band together, as the forgotten, as the downtrodden, as the activists, and most importantly as Atlasians, and when we do their jobs won't be so cushy anymore. We can vote for new leadership with Democratic Alliance that cares about you and that has a plan to turn things around. We won't let anybody be lost and forgotten anymore. We will establish community offices across New York and Atlasia where anybody can walk in and easily find job openings, educational opportunities, public housing availability, and applications for welfare. We will work with our businesses to connect potential employees to good jobs, we will establish new schools for adults tailored for giving those who are struggling the credentials needed to get a good job, we will build public housing to get people off the streets and into a safe environment, and we will protect welfare from needless cuts. We will teach our students how to get a job, how to apply for colleges, and how to get financial aid instead of leaving them to figure these things out on their own. We will diversify our education and help students find their skills and interests instead of telling them what fields are "good" or "bad". We won't tell anyone lies about how they're doomed to fail because of their fields of interest. We will build green infrastructure, to protect the environment, to create jobs, and to invest in communities around New York. No longer are these things that they won't do, these are things that we WILL do! This month, let's vote for the party with a plan to put every citizen first. Let's vote Democratic Alliance!

[Sirius_]

Speech in Worcester, MA
Speech Took Place at Fitton Field, College of the Holy Cross
Attendance Limited to 1500
Masks Required
Streamed Online

Good evening to all in the heart of the commonwealth! That's a lot easier to say than the actual name of Worcester. But rest assured, us members of the Democratic Alliance care about all communities, urban suburban and rural, affluent or not, and regardless of difficulty in pronunciation, we strive to build communities that are the best they can be. You know our opponents in the old style political parties have been trying to convince you guys to keep on voting for the same people that have been in charge so that they can deliver more of the same. I honestly don't see why we should vote for the same people when we could vote for better! For the past century, innovation has consistently been the key to Atlasia's continued success, and Democratic Alliance isn't going to stop that trend. For our party's entire existence, we have been coming out with innovative new policy platforms for your community that the others have been afraid to adopt or address. We have plans to combat growing traffic and climate change with clean public transportation in small and medium cities like Worcester, but not a word about that from Federalists. We've laid out a plan to work with partners in the energy industry to fix our grid, but it seems like Labor wouldn't dare! We know in detail how to build communities for success based on walkability and ease of access to services, and there's no answer from anyone else on it! They'll boast about what big PR things their president or their senators did, but Democratic Alliance has firmly established itself as the party of community innovation. And if you want to see your community improve, then it should be clear who to support in these LOCAL elections.

In case you're wondering why this speech is in a college stadium instead of my usual public park settings, that would be because today I'm joined by a few of our great future leaders in Massachusetts DA Students. Earlier this evening we discussed education reform, something that gets thrown around a lot as a buzz word but never seems to actually happen. Based on our insightful discussions and my own research, I can absolutely say that our education system is, well, old, and an example of yet another area where we need some innovation. Other politicians may not care to change the status quo, but Atlasian education is falling behind, which is why Democratic Alliance is willing and ready to try new methods. We apply our great technological innovations of the past century to our education system, we will make room for the different learning styles that suit individual students, and we will reform curriculum to allow students to find and focus on what they excel in and enjoy, as all students have something that they're good at. But most importantly, we won't only listen to what big party officials like me have to say, (jokingly) despite how impeccable my advice is, but also to the advice of our teachers, parents, and students, who deserve to have more of a say in education. Education is yet another way that DA is ready to innovate in our government, so I hope to see you all join us this weekend and make a change!

[Sirius_]

This ad will be distributed online in MA and in newspapers and flyers in Greater Boston, Springfield, and all areas serviced by the MBTA.

[Sirius_]

This ad will be distributed online, in newspapers and on flyers in Greater NYC, Long Island, and all other areas serviced by the MTA.

[Sirius_]

Speech in Lowell, MA
Speech Took Place at the South Common
Attendance Limited to 300
Masks Required
Streamed Online

Hello Lowell, and hello Northern MA. There's been a lot of campaigning going on right now as the September campaigning season nears an end, and its getting a bit heated right now. I can feel the heat in North Dakota all the way over here! I find it unfortunate that some people, particularly in a certain big red party, are trying to make this campaign about Nyman when it should be about places like Lowell. These are local campaigns that don't run any higher than the state level! I'm sure what's important is not what is being done by big wig politicians hundred of miles from here, but what people will do for Lowell. Well I can tell you what Democratic Alliance will do for Lowell. Our party is committed to developing strong communities through local leadership, which is just as important as federal leadership. We'll ensure that Lowell's infrastructure is maintained, because no matter what its like today, we'll need our infrastructure tomorrow. We'll support the local economy by supporting local businesses. Downtown Manhattan may be important, but for you, Downtown Lowell is equally important! We support policies which make it easy to start businesses by simplifying the process and providing financial security to new entrepreneurs. We support policies which promote local business by developing solid community centers where anyone can easily go and access a good array of local fare. We will support local citizens as well, by establishing an easy to access outreach center where those in need can apply for welfare, find housing in the public housing units we will build, and find good paying local jobs. We will support local families by guaranteeing funding to our schools, innovating our schools, and ensuring that no children go without basic necessities like food. Federal politicians may tell you about their flashy and expensive programs that you might not even see the result of, but I'm here to tell you that we're dedicated to building strong communities in towns like Lowell. Your own neighbors are joining us by running for office because they are ready to help your community. This weekend, you have a choice. Vote for someone else, and you can see what the government's up to on TV. Or, you can vote for Democratic Alliance, and see the results right here!

[Sirius_]

Reminder for Lumine that Events in my Presidential Thread are also for local campaigning!

[Sirius_]

Speech in Newark, NJ
Speech Took Place at Prudential Concert Grove
Attendance Limited to 500
Masks Required
Streamed Online

Hello everyone! Its good to be finally campaigning in my homes state! I really aprpreciate all the support I've gotten from this state, but soon its time to support our movement at the voting booth. You know the Labor party has derided our movement constantly as a fake movement created by grifters who just talk pretty. And I've been hearing a lot of talk from them about how we need to stick with their supposedly "proven leadership" and how terrible it would be to have anyone else in charge for once. Well as a Lincolnite, I'm not buying it! Look at how dysfunctional the regional government lead by them has been. Their Governor: absent. Their Chancellor: absent. Their Speaker: Well he isn't always absent, but that's a pretty low bar, and as the seemingly de facto leader he tried to raise the alcohol age of all things. And their other councilor, who replaced one of their councilors who was kicked out for being absent, is absent too! Is this really Labor's golden success they've been talking about? Because it seems to me like they're doing nothing, and almost all the legislation that did pass this session was sponsored by me! When they manufactured an unnecessary political crisis that didn't even need to exist, I reached out and offered to solve the problem in a multipartisan manner. And despite saying that they would do it at first, when it came to a vote they turned around and backstabbed me! They claimed that it was in the best interest of the people to secure the Labor majority, but its gotten us people nothing!

When Labor points to their shiny programs and legislation, their pointing to things they did at the federal level. But the truth is, they neglect the lower government, with the perfect example of it being right across the Hudson in the Lincoln Council. If they can't put any amount of care into our regional government, what makes you think they'll care about New Jersey? I don't think they care. And if they ask us why people should vote DA, and what difference it will make for you, I'd say the difference is that we do care about local government! And we care about you! We believe that local issues matter, and that local government has to be there to address them. The potholes on your local street won't be patched from the federal level. Your local green spaces won't be maintained from the federal level. Public transport in your community won't be expanded from the federal level. Even for issues such as education, a lot of it comes not from the top but from the bottom of our government! When you look at your community's issues and wonder why they haven't been improved, remember those machine politicians in charge who don't pay attention to your local needs. Then, remember how you can change that: by voting for Democratic Alliance, the party made by people like you and ready to take action on behalf of people like you. Together, we can turn our communities around!