Mr.Byrd might I ask why should we close all schools ; I personally dont see the point of this decision at all.
- Doctor Robert Horshington.
- Doctor Robert Horshington.
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((Hmm, I'm considering joining. Couple of questions though; First, what year are we in?Second, what's happening in the US of A and the rest of the world? And finally, is there a Governor of Nevada?))
The year is 1953. The last two updates (RAJ and Emerson), which can be found in the first post's table of contents, should give a pretty good idea of the current state of the world, if I've done my job right. I do not believe there is a Governor of Nevada.
((Alrighty then! I think I have an understanding of what is happening. I'll post my character tomorrow.))
The Presidential Election of 1953
When the National Conventions convened in December 1952, the next Presidential Election seemed sure to be both uneventful and predictable. The President’s high approval rating made the Liberal Party’s brightest stars shrink from running for the nomination, unwilling to suffer a defeat that might dent their political reputation. Aware of this reality, Daniel Dagger, mayor of New York, put himself up for the nomination.
Despite nominally supporting the President, Dagher felt that there should still be a counterweight to RAJ’s policies available, especially in foreign affairs. To emphasize this, he chose as his Vice-Presidential Candidate Henry Thompson, a former ambassador to the United Kingdom and congressional ally of Eugene Lovey. The focus of the nation in the campaigning months of the 1953 election however, was not on foreign policy, but Virginia.
1. Governor Jubal Byrd announces the closure of Virginia schools.
Jubal Byrd had always been an opponent of desegregation, and when it was forced on Virginia schools, he took action the only way he could think of left to him. He mobilized the Virginia National Guard, and ordered them to keep segregation in existence. RAJ responded by nationalizing the Guard and ordering them to do the opposite, driving down to Virginia, and giving Byrd a furious verbal thrashing. Byrd, knowing he had lost the guard, then went to a solution he had not dared to even think of before.
The announcement on January 9th that no school in Virginia would reopen after the Christmas Holiday ended on January 12th was the height of the desegregation debacle. The nation waited with bated breath for the President’s response, and his party panicked as it realized it was running headlong into the same argument it had had with his father. RAJ demonstrated the same stubbornness he had shown throughout his entire term, and ordered the National Guard to keep schools open and desegregated. The matter of Byrd’s executive order would be decided by the Supreme Court.
Throughout this entire debacle, the Liberal Party stayed quite, unwilling to kick the hornet’s nest, waiting to see what the nation thought of RAJ’s actions before taking their side. And so, as Election Day came, Virginia school children walked into their classrooms past armed National Guardsmen.
The Candidates/Tickets of 1953
The Election Manifesto of the Republican Party
Presidential Candidate: Richard A. Jarvis
Vice-Presidential Candidate: William Gallatin
Foreign Policy:
-General: These past four years have seen both the thawing of Soviet American relations, and our continued commitment to democracy and our allies wherever possible; aid has continued, negotiations conducted, and American presence overseas has been beneficial and successful in both deterring war and promoting liberal democracy. Under another Jarvis administration, the American government will continue to reach out to the Soviet Union, and strive for friendly relations with all nations; as has been the case during my presidency, the United States will support technological, industrial, and economic cooperation with these nations.
-Cooperation: The United States, the entire world, cannot afford an escalation of tension with the Soviet Union; furthermore, this great nation cannot be the instigator of such a conflict. The radical fringe that calls for outright war with the Soviets are blind and willing to destroy the world to stop an ideology that, during these past four years, has not expanded. Are we, the American people, willing to bring death and destruction, another world war, to the world? Or are we prepared to put aside our differences, and work for the betterment of all mankind?
-Military Policy: In light of this new nuclear warfare, it is only sensible to invest more fully to ensure that these weapons can be used optimally; whilst I hope sincerely that these weapons need never be used, we must ensure that we can resist any attack on our country fully and without any handicap or disadvantage. To ensure these expenses are offset, the ground forces will be reduced significantly. The navy and air force will be maintained at present strength, and, should the budget permit it, possibly expanded slightly.
Economic Policy:
-Regulation: Despite little progress being made in deregulating the economy (largely due to the obstinance of certain members in Congress), under a continued Jarvis Administration, efforts to defend the private market and promote economic freedom and growth will be made. The American nation cannot continue to spend drastically and ineffectually; the spendthrift years of the Depression are over!
-Taxes: During my second term, I plan on cutting taxes an acceptable rate to further spur economic growth and ensure that the private sector can continue to grow and prosper; should our efforts to reduce spending bear fruit, continue moves to reduce taxes will be made.
-Reform: Despite this general deregulation, renewed efforts to improve the standards of safety across the country shall be made; no worker will be compelled to work in a needlessly dangerous environment. Whilst the Federal Government has no inclination to make any further reforms, state efforts will be supported and encouraged.
Social Policy:
-Civil Rights: The recent Supreme Court decision to desegregate schools is a great triumph for this nation, and for the cause of freedom! Should the American people see fit to elect me to a second term, I will enforce these integration policies with all deliberate speed; furthermore, I will continue to champion both federal and state initiatives to bring about equality.
-Education: The voucher programme created several years ago has been incredibly successful, and American children, no matter the financial status of their parents, can get an education they deserve and this nation needs; these next four years, I will continue to promote investment in our education system and encourage more private and charter schools to form up.
-Innovation: Under a second (or fourth) Jarvis Administration, the United States will continue to be the leading innovator on Earth! With strong federal funding, a public-private policy similar to our massively successful education programme, and our healthy funding of centres of learning, our nation will lead the path in science, medicine, and engineering.
Furthermore, this nation must become the leader in space, and ensure that democracy and peace can be made there; under my administration, I will establish a department dedicated solely to that purpose, and will support all private initiatives and support.
Election Manifesto of the Liberal Party
Presidential Candidate: Daniel Dagger
Vice-Presidential Candidate: Henry Thompson
Foreign Policy:
The Soviet Union and international Communism are a threat that we cannot ignore. These past four years have indeed been silent, but to believe that they will continue is foolish. Germany was silent too. The USSR has a stated and sure goal to spread its influence and Communism’s influence over the entire world. A Dagger administration would pledge to return to a policy of watchful vigilance.
Economic Policy:
Wartime measures have been removed, and as such regulation is in a good place. We need only to remove unnecessary red tape, and clean up existing regulations. Overzealous deregulation led us to the great calamity of the Depression and WWII; a Dagger administration will ensure that never happens again.
Social Policy:
Like the President, I believe in the American education system. It has been improved to the point where it is a well-tended-to garden, which needs only proper cultivation and care. Under a Dagger administration, education and innovation ill continue to be funded to the utmost, and the Space Program this nation was promised will come true.
-------------------------------
Exceptional Situation(s):
None. Vote on.
While I find Dagger's foreign policy more ideal than President Jarvis' stubborn inaction, his economic policy seems to be far from what I hoped for.
I will wait and see if Dagger cares to change his position or explores his position on the issue of desegregation to decide my vote.
I will wait and see if Dagger cares to change his position or explores his position on the issue of desegregation to decide my vote.
I congratulate the party on bringing such a worthy candidate like Dagger. I stand by the Liberal party in the fight against communism, in the name of the protection of our freedom and democracy!
Henry Thompson, Liberal VP candidate
Henry Thompson, Liberal VP candidate
I fail to see how my administration has suffered from "stubborn inaction" and frankly the only place where I see that is in the fearful silence from the Liberals on the matter of civil rights.
In this administration's attempts to bring about another depression through removing my regulatory policies, a move wisely blocked by my allies in Congress, I have no choice but to vote for the Liberal Party, despite wishing Mr Dagger would take a more constructive stance on the issue of international cooperation.
I want to take a moment and discuss foreign policy; it seems that Mr Dagger is of the opinion that under a continued Jarvis administration, this nation will be less safe. This however is not the case. Unlike Mr Dagger, I have several decades of military experience to rely on should Soviet-American relations falter, and I have sworn on my honour to protect this country from harm. I am simply of the opinion that peace can be maintained abroad if we act peaceably; to act in a confrontational manner will serve only to bring this entire planet closer to the brink of war, a conflict far more terrible and horrific than the war against fascism.
I would also advise Mr McCahill on reconsidering his vote; the good Mayor and his running mate have been ominously silent on the issue of Virginia, and surely a progressive such as yourself would not dare vote for a man who will do nothing in defence of civil rights.
I would also advise Mr McCahill on reconsidering his vote; the good Mayor and his running mate have been ominously silent on the issue of Virginia, and surely a progressive such as yourself would not dare vote for a man who will do nothing in defence of civil rights.
You stand back and attempt to make friends with the Soviet Union, despite the fact that they are the epitome of despotism, and the sheer opposite of freedom. You sit back and allow the red tide to wash over the rest of the world in the name of "peace" and what you, for whatever reason, insist on referring to as "free trade" when it is nothing but.
The free market cannot and shall not stand when a force that is religiously bent on destroying it is allowed free reign on the global stage. If we don't act against this threat now, then it will boil over and take us along with it.
I have said nothing on the issue; that doesn't mean I support the continuation of such wanton discrimination. Quite simply, I am siding with the Liberals because I fear the return of that Great Depression that plagued our nation for so long. If you can provide me any evidence that your party really is any more serious about this issue than mine is, and I can assure you my opposition to segregation has far more grounding in the party than your does in yours, I will reconsider. For now, I am concerned only with the preservation of the growth that now surrounds us, which I can only attribute to the stability that the regulations offer and that this President has being doing his utmost to remove for four, long years.
So your solution is war? A nuclear war between two superpowers? A war that will extinguish the lives of millions, of possibly all life on this planet? Or perhaps you suggest something smaller, such as sending American troops to China, Vietnam, and the rest of these hot spots? What will be the result there; more death, more destruction, and more hatred towards us.
Confrontationalism will not solve anything; it will merely create a perfect storm for such a terrible conflict! We should remain vigilant, yes, but vigilance neither connotes policing the world nor promoting conflict with other nations. Our Navy and Airforce have continued to see upgrades and expansion, and the Army has been kept up to date. We have supported our allies abroad as best we can, and we have worked with the Soviets in promotion of peace. Should all that progress be tossed aside in favour of another world war?
Furthermore, I would like to note that the economy has not only continued to grow under this "inactive" administration, it has grown faster. We are stronger than we've been in years, and we are freer and safer because of it.
I am however rather shocked that for all your calls for freedom abroad, you make not a single whisper about the sheer silence of Mr Dagger on segregation.
Mr McCahill, my father not only passed the last Civil Rights Act in this nation, he brought the issue back into the American conscience, when no one wanted to hear it. Members of this party have been... lukewarm on the matter of civil rights, I will admit. But the Liberals, Progressives, and Federals all maintained the same silence. Not once under Sullivan did civil rights get mentioned. Not once under your esteemed leadership during the War. Not once under the Emerson Administration. The Republican Party has, despite its spotted record on the matter, been the main proponent of the issue.
Might I ask just one question then; why are you so determined to make this issue into a conflict, given you promise to refrain from such conflict abroad? Need I quote you, for there are many soundbites? "Confrontationalism will not solve anything", "Should all that progress be tossed aside in favour of another world war?", "What will be the result there; more death, more destruction, and more hatred towards us." I cannot help but think it is a political ploy, not out of real conviction, but to win yourself votes. It is my express belief, as it is in foreign policy, that change is better achieved through negotiation than through force of arms. That is why I support the United Nations and that is why I support a gradual abolition of the practice within the southern states; your attempts to breed contempt so far seem to me to have done nothing but harden the opposition to change rather than create any lasting legacy. I really do hope I am being cynical and my concern is not well founded, but I would prefer silent change, which I genuinely believe Mr Dagger could achieve, to the storm you have created that is sure to make even the moderates oppose your actions.
From the desk of His Excellency the Governor
Deo vindice,
Jubal Byrd,
Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia
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How can we criticise others when our own house is built on a weak foundation? How can I call out the Soviet Union for their failings in equality and liberty, when the Negroes of this country are discriminated against? Lastly, issues at home will not result in nuclear war; you of all people should be aware of that.
However, that you would call my stance on this issue a "political ploy" is disgusting, and I am ashamed that you would even make that insinuation. I have been in favour of civil rights my entire life; I supported my father's initiatives in the 1910s and 20s... when your father was remarkably neutral on the issue. I continued to support them in the 30s and 40s... when you were silent on the issue. I actively campaigned for civil rights in 1948 and stood by my promises, whilst Emerson campaigned on indifference. I am appalled that you would accuse me of such a thing, as I had thought you were above such things.
Furthermore, would I sacrifice the South, which has voted Republican solidly for decades, at the chance of possibly gaining votes else on a simple political ploy? Not only is your charge of it all being a political ploy a disgusting charge, it is not based on any sort of logic!
As President, I must enforce the laws of this nation, and the Supreme Court in favour of desegregation. Should I ignore them? Should I allow the states free reign in segregation? Would you rather Mr Dagger not enforce the laws of this nation? That, not my lawful defence of desegregation, would be a political ploy... a highly autocratic and illegal one at that.
Lastly, this nation has been silent on the issue since 1921, and almost nothing has been achieved in the thirty years following; is that the silent change you promote?
You know full well we were not in a position to change anything 30 years ago, or even 10. The war changed everything and only now is the climate right to act; that Emerson did nothing is reprehensible, that you have not been entirely constructive is almost as bad. I understand full well your predicament; the President never really gets to make easy choices, and perhaps my charge against you was somewhat unfounded, but this sort of inconsistency between your foreign policy and your domestic beliefs should not be celebrated as you have. I merely wish to make the point that a less vocal advocate might be better able to work with the South to achieve real change. Enforcing the law is one thing, but actively going out of your way to cause trouble in the South in doing so is not the same at all.
A less vocal advocate? We do not even know Mr Dagger's position? For all we know, he could be a rabid segregationist or as staunch a supporter for desegregation as myself!
His silence on the issue however, makes him merely the reverse of myself; he will fight the Soviets for equality and freedom abroad, but seems content to allow Governor Byrd to close schools and keep segregation. Whereas I desire peace and equality, he may very well be an advocate both of war and discrimination! It is already apparent that he supports the former.
Speaking of Governor Byrd, need I remind you that the guard are nationalised and at my command? Furthermore, I offer to help pay any teacher affected by these deeply disturbing cuts from my own wallet, until such a time that Congress can convene and ensure that Virginia schools and educators are still paid fairly. Lastly, I would advise Mr Byrd to rescind his order to give teachers and schools less money, lest I suggest Congress reduce aid to Virginia, barring aid to education, of course.
I would also like to you, Mr McCahill, how would a silent advocate act against a rabid supporter of segregation? Would he allow the latter to close schools, or send the National Guard in to prevent desegregation? The fact of the matter is, I have been forced by Governor Byrd to take the actions that I have; had he simply followed the laws of the land, I would have taken no action against him or any other state. That not being the case, I have acted only within my authority to enforce the laws of this nation.
Name: Samuel ‘Sammy’ Todaro
Position: Governor of Nevada
Date of Birth: 06/03/1914
Main Issues:
- Pro-Business
- Free-Trade
- Anti-Communism
Biography: A 3rd generation Italian-American, Samuel ‘Sammy’ Todaro’s family history has been, at best, suspect. His grandfather, Antonio ‘Tony’ Todaro, was a suspected Mafioso of the Genovese crime family, and Sammy’s own father, James ‘Jimmy’ Todaro, was shot dead in a parking lot in Las Vegas, supposedly in a drug deal gone wrong. Sammy has managed to dodge all allegations and accusations about his own supposed involvement with the Mafia, and has used his reputation and many friends in Las Vegas to successfully run for the Governorship of the Nevada district. A popular man, with a bit of a celebrity status within Las Vegas, Sammy vows to support the businesses that bring such wealth to his electoral district, as well as taking a strong stance against the ‘Red Menace’ of Communism.
