Eagle in Peril: A 2004 Election Game (Gameplay)

[Alcibiades]

June schedule

Prologue: Since privately deciding to run for the presidency in 2002, Governor Dean has been quietly laying the groundwork for his campaign. Most importantly, he has been making regular visits to Iowa and has collaborated with the website meetup.com in an innovative strategy to build a grassroots network of supporters throughout the country, all connected by the internet.

June 7: Attend President Bush’s funeral.

June 12: Oversee the finishing touches on the Iowa headquarters being set up in West Des Moines and greet all staff.

June 15: Meet with SIEU representatives to discuss support for labour issues.

June 19: Meet with supporters in Arizona.

June 23: Official campaign announcement in Burlington, VT:

Too many Democrats in Washington DC are afraid of being, well, Democrats. While they become ever more indistinguishable from Republicans, I have a few simple, bold promises to make you: I will end the disastrous war in Iraq; like I did year after year here in Vermont, I will balance the budget by repealing the GOP tax cuts which serve merely as a giveaway to the wealthy at the expense of middle class families; and I will fulfil Harry Truman’s dream of guaranteeing every American the health insurance we all need and deserve. To quote our dearly missed friend Paul Wellstone, I am on the Democratic wing of the Democratic party, and I am not ashamed to fight for the policies our country is so desperately crying out for.

The Americans I meet are kind, generous people, but, completely understandably, all too often their faith in the institutions which once formed the backbone of this country has been worn down. I love this country, which is why I know we can and must do so much better. Join me, and we can take back the White House and take back America.

June 24: Launch campaign website howarddean.com, with special emphasis on an easy online donation tool - the backbone of the campaign’s strategy of relying on hundred of thousands of small donors rather than a few big ones.

June 26: Meet with Democratic state legislators in Concord, NH.

June 27-28: Meet with supporter groups formed through meetup.com in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.

June 30: Visit a black church in Bamberg, SC, emphasising healthcare message.

_{All images from Wikimedia Commons}

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July and August schedule

1 July: Start running ads in Iowa:

I’m Howard Dean, and I approve this message.

Are you tired of same-old-same-old in politics? Of Democrats who seem to have forgotten they’re Democrats? Together, we can take back our country from corporate special interests, and help to build real change that works for ordinary Americans - we’ll secure health insurance for every American and bring back American jobs. But I can only do it with the help of you.

2 July: Town hall in Charleston, SC.

4 July: Independence Day barbeque at home in Burlington, VT.

6 July: Meet Senators Russ Feingold (of the Foreign Relations Committee) and Pat Leahy to discuss mutual opposition to the Iraq War.

8 July: Town hall in Concord, NH.

9-10 July: Meet and greet supporters on the NH Seacoast.

12 July: Young voters’ town hall in Ann Arbor, MI.

13-15 July: Meet supporters in Detroit, Flint, Saginaw and Kalamazoo.

18 July: Interview with The Des Moines Register:

Interviewer: Most of your competitors are US senators with long records of National and foreign affairs policymaking? Why are you, the former governor of one of the smallest states in the Union, qualified to be president?

Dean: Well, dare I say that judging by some of their positions, particularly on the disastrous War in Iraq, having been in Washington DC for so long has made them pretty out-of-touch with what ordinary Democratic voters want. By contrast, as a governor, I had to take a far greater responsibility for the welfare of my constituents, and had a far more hands-on, practical role in crafting policy. It’s true, I’m not like them in that I don’t have an extensive network of big powerful donors. Instead I’m relying on folks like the good readers of your paper to help us take back the White House, and change the way politics is done in this country for good.

19 July: Meet farmers in SE Iowa.

20 July: Town hall in Waterloo, IA.

21-22 July: Meet supporters in Des Moines, IA.

25 July: Meet with founder of, and those benefitted by, scheme to help disadvantaged inner-city youth in St Louis, MO.

26 July: Meet with local union officials in Ste. Genevieve, MO; discuss support for labour issues.

27 July: Town hall in Kansas City, MO focusing on healthcare.

28-29 July: Visit Eastern Oklahoma, including meeting with families of killed Iraq soldiers:

It’s a damned tragedy that boys like these are dying because of the actions of an ideologically-obsessed administration who treat real lives like pieces on a chessboard.

3 August: Meet with Jim Jeffords, discuss plans for reducing the deficit.

5 August: Meet with the leadership of the AFSCME union in Washington, DC.

6 August: Dinner with the Gore family in Nashville, TN.

9-11 August: Campaign in Seattle, WA, including town hall on UW campus.

12 August: Town hall in Spokane, WA.

13 August: Meet supporters in Olympia, WA.

15 August: Speech in Portland, OR, on healthcare.

17 August: Town hall in Bend, OR.

18-19 August: Tour of rural southern Oregon.

20 August: Meet with local environmentalists in Marin County, CA.

23 August: Meet with supporters in Hanover, NH.

24 August: Visit Androscoggin Valley Hospital, NH.

25 August: Town hall in Manchester, NH.

27 August: Visit factory in Dubuque, IA, speak about plans to renegotiate NAFTA to be more favourable to American manufacturing.

28 August: Speech focusing on unions in Rock Island, IL:

Unions built the American middle class, and, similarly, it’s no coincidence that the squeeze on the middle class has coincided with increased attacks on unions from corporate-backed Republicans. Strong unions are the key to prosperity in this country, and, as President, I will fight tirelessly for the right to organise.

30 August: Town hall in Gary, IN.

31 August: Speech on foreign policy in Indianapolis, IN.

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Howard Dean Debate Answers

1. I know this might sound like a cliché, but this truly is a momentous election in determining the future of our great country. A stark choice faces us: heartless corporatism, social division, and continuing a pointless war which has debased America’s reputation abroad; or building a nation which truly fulfills our Founders’ promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, in which no American has to worry about going without healthcare, a fairer nation, and one which stands as a shining beacon to the rest of the world, upholding a rules-based international order of human rights. As Democratic voters, you have a special chance to influence the direction our country takes this year; either you can select a candidate who is afraid to challenge the Republicans’ narrow vision of America, who is ashamed to stand up for the true values of the party of Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy; or you can place your trust in me, and I promise I will fight tirelessly for the kind of country we can, should, and must be.

2. I fear our present foreign policy is absolutely jeopardising the safety of Americans, and we need to swiftly change course if we don’t want our enemies to gain the upper hand. First of all, we need to rebuild the bonds with our traditional democratic allies which have been so weakened by the farcical conduct of the present administration. Terror thrives in the face of division among those it seeks to hurt the most. Secondly, we need to withdraw from the war in Iraq in a swift and orderly manner. Saddam is a vile dictator, but he was not responsible for 9/11, and destabilising a country as fragile as Iraq in the manner I fear our intervention may do could create a breeding ground for terror and resentment against the United States. I want to be clear, however, that I support the continuation of the War in Afghanistan; the Taliban must be never be allowed to regain control after their unacceptable actions in sheltering al-Qaeda. Finally, I think it’s worth asking what the terrorists want, and what victory looks like for them. It’s not realistically al-Qaeda flags flying over every American building, but rather a climate of fear and repression. In that sense, then, I am deeply worried about the infringements on our hard-won civil liberties that seem to increasingly be being brought about.

3. As I’ve said, I support the orderly withdrawal from Iraq of the overwhelming majority of American forces in the near future. We should coordinate with the UN, and hand over control of the country to credible Iraqi leaders, who both support democratic principles and can command the support of their people. Now that we are in there, we have an obligation to the Iraqi people to help them build a fairer and more democratic system of government, but, ultimately, such a system will never last unless it is largely built organically by the Iraqi people themselves; so I definitely don’t support us maintaining a long-term presence. So, to answer your question, ideally we would be looking at near-total withdrawal within two years of me taking office if I am elected, and I absolutely do think it’s necessary to set out a timetable, otherwise there’s a risk of getting bogged down in a disastrous never-ending war.

4. Let’s take back America for everyone.

Personalised question: Well, first of all, I think there are a few reasons why my experience as a governor gives me an advantage. It obviously means I’m one of the few candidates on this stage with executive experience. Perhaps more importantly, it also means that I’ve been much more able to do what anyone in politics ought to have gotten into this line of work for in the first place — that is, helping people — than had I been stuck doing whatever goes on in Washington, DC, these days. For instance, one of my proudest accomplishments is our Dr. Dynasaur programme in Vermont, which has achieved near-universal health insurance coverage for children in our state, and I hope to use that experience once I’m in the White House to achieve the urgent task of getting health insurance to every American. As for foreign policy expertise, well I’ll let you folks watching at home decide whether those who mindlessly went along with Republican wars have better judgement than me.

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September and October schedule

1 September: Attend Democratic debate in New York City, NY.

2 September: Stump speech in Newark, NJ, focusing on healthcare.

4 September: Town hall at Swarthmore College, PA.

5 September: Meet supporters in Philadelphia, PA.

7 September: Meet with Vermont’s congressional delegation in Washington, DC.

9 September: Town Hall in Yonkers, NY.

11 September: Attend 9/11 memorial in New York City, NY.

13 September: Town hall in St Paul, MN.

14 September: Meet with local SEIU members in Minneapolis, MN.

16 September: Meet with supporters in Rochester, MN, hear views on tax reform.

18 September: Interview with NPR:

In your view, what’s the biggest problem with the way politics is currently done in the United States?

The nature of fundraising, absolutely. Most candidates, and it pains me to say this is a Democratic problem as well as a Republican one, predominantly rely on big corporate donors, and, well, I don’t think it takes a genius to figure out the problems that leads to in terms of influencing policy and relegating the needs and voices of ordinary people. That’s why I’ve focused on getting lots of small donations from the everyday folks who support my campaign, and, quite frankly, I think my fellow candidates are shocked at how successful it’s been. More than just my own benefit, I hope the success of what we’ve been doing can show future politicians there’s another way forward, and really turn a leaf on the relationship between money and politics in this country.

19 September: Visit diner in Decorah, IA.

21 September: Check in on Iowa campaign HQ operations.

22 September: Town hall at high school in Mechanicsville, IA.

24 September: Visit dairy farmers in Guttenberg, IA.

Our family farmers are one of the backbones of our nation, and so, like in all too many other areas of our nation’s life, the encroachment of corporate greed onto their lovingly-tended-to territory disturbs me greatly. As President, I’ll make sure any farm bills in Congress focus on smaller farmers, not big ag, which hardly needs any more help.

26 September: Town hall in Eau Claire, WI.

29 September: Announce new fundraising campaign to match money raised by exclusive RNC dinner attended by Vice President Cheney.

1 October: Town hall in Chapel Hill, NC.

2 October: Help at soup kitchen organised by local church in Durham, NC.

4 October: Speech on deficit in Charlotte, NC.

6 October: Visit veterans’ hospital in Columbia, SC.

9 October: Talk about plans to protect and strengthen Medicare with supporters in Tampa, FL.

10 October: Visit Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL, and give speech on importance of funding for scientific research.

12 October: Town hall in Laconia, NH.

14 October: Give speech as guest at College Democrats’ dinner at UNH, Durham, NH.

15 October: Town hall in Dover, NH.

17 October: Foreign policy speech at University of Michigan, MI.

Y’know, I kinda have to admit it’s a bit of a cliché, but I don’t think the people leading our foreign policy at the moment are asking themselves the question, “What will our grandchildren think of this?” What will they think? A war with flimsy justification? American blood spilled needlessly? The long-term destabilisation of an already volatile region? The obliteration of the United States’ moral authority? These are the questions which will be affecting not just the world, but the world, long after I’m gone. And right now I fear the present administration is totally ignoring them. As President, I’ll restore peace and honour to our great country which can do so much better on the world stage. If the present policy continues for even four more years, I am terrified that the damage done on the world stage may be irreparable.

19 October: Town hall in Columbus, OH.

20 October: Visit factory in Youngstown, OH.

22 October: Meet supporters in Pittsburgh, PA.

24 October: Meet with League of Conservation Voters in Washington, DC.

26 October: Town hall in Albuquerque, NM.

27 October: Meet supporters in Santa Fe, NM.

29 October: Speech on environment in Denver, CO.

31 October: Town hall on UC Boulder campus.