Presidential Election Game

Description
In this game, you are running a campaign to become President of the United States. You must decide your strategy in campaigning, including where you spend your time and money, what positions you take on issues, which issues you emphasize, and how you present yourself. The game takes place essentially in 2016, with some minor changes. These changes are mainly that all of the politicians are made up, and some current events changes.

Resources
The goal of the game is to win the election. To do this, you need to win both the primaries and the general election. There are five "resources" which affect your ability to win. These are: Name recognition is how much people know your name, and know who you are. This gives you a bigger amount of people to convince to vote for you and gives you a better chance of doing well early on in the race. Trustworthiness is very important for many independent voters and is the trust that voters have that you will keep your promises, believe what you say, and are not corrupt. Likeability is the appeal the candidate have as a person, and how much the voters would want to meet the candidate. Fundraising is the ability to raise money, it is key for being able to stay in the race and spend on commercials. Finally, legitimacy is the voters' view of the candidate as viable, experienced, a good speaker, and in the primary the belief that they could win the general election.
 * Name Recognition
 * Trustworthiness
 * Likeability
 * Fundraising
 * Legitimacy

Groups
There are several groups of people (for example religions, factions within a party, races, economic classes, etc.), and each group has a general position on each issue, different priorities on different issues, and they will have different views for each candidate. Each state has a different mix of these groups, and candidates have a different amount of the resources among each group. However, it is important to determine which groups you want to gain support from, and as a result determine where you will campaign. Every category has a group of "other" or "mixed", which will be counted as more of the national average. Below are a list of the groups :

Racial: Religious: Economic Class: Education: Gender/Sexual Orientation
 * White
 * Black
 * Hispanic/Latino
 * Asian/Pacific Islander
 * Mixed Race
 * Unidentified/Atheist/Agnostic
 * Evangelical Protestant
 * Mainline Protestant
 * Catholic
 * Mormon
 * Jewish
 * Muslim
 * Lower Class/Poverty
 * Middle Class
 * Upper Middle Class
 * Very Rich
 * No High School Degree
 * High School Degree
 * College Degree
 * Advanced Degree
 * Current Student
 * Heterosexual Men
 * Heterosexual Women
 * LGBT

Current Political Situation
This is still being constructed, and is not complete yet:

Backstory (Presidential Election Game)

How to Join
Candidates can join until January 15th, when the primary campaigning will begin. Candidates can join after that but will be at a disadvantage. ONLY REALISTIC CANDIDATES ARE ALLOWED, NO TROLLING. To join, you must fill out the following form in the talk page :
 * Candidate Name:
 * Age:
 * Gender:
 * Religion (include denomination):
 * Race:
 * Party Affiliation:
 * Home State:
 * State of Birth:
 * Current Job:
 * Past Government Positions (if applicable):
 * Job before Politics (usually lawyer, soldier, businessman, etc.):
 * Issue most stressed:
 * Secondary Issue:
 * Campaign Slogan:
 * Other Notes:

Candidates

 * Democrat
 * Senator Robert McCarthy (CT)
 * Senator John Callison (VA)
 * Senator Lelia Afewerek (MN)
 * Abdallah Salem (NY)
 * Republican
 * Senator Morgan Ryder (TX)
 * Senator Ralph Turnip (OR)
 * Representative Richard Thorpe (ID)
 * Senator Richard A. "Rocky" Champion (PA)
 * Libertarian
 * Governor Ron Jones (KY)
 * Senator Luke Recks (NH)
 * Independent
 * Mayor Abram Klements (CA)

Current Polls
Libertarian, Democratic, and Republican national, Iowa, and New Hampshire polls will all come on January 25th.

Endorsements
Libertarian, Democratic, and Republican endorsements will begin to come on January 25th.

Current Issues
Please comment your responses to the following questions. Part of your strategy is when you answer these questions, including whether you spread out the answers, answer them immediately, or answer them later. For these questions, you can answer the obvious answers (such as pro-choice and pro-life) or some sort of middle ground (pro-life except in cases of rape). The real election season will not start until January 25th, and until then, please answer all of the following 39 questions.

Domestic Issues

 * What is your position on gay marriage?
 * Senator Ryder: Civil Union but not Marriage
 * Representative Thorpe: Civil Union only.
 * Senator McCarthy: We should certainly encourage the LGBT community to marry each other as they please.
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY): As written in Liberterian doctrine, personal rights shall not be determined by government. LGBT's should be allowed to marry and care for children as they so please.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH): I don't think that, as a politician, I should determine who is allowed to get married or not. The consistent libertarian position is to get government out of the marriage business altogether and eliminate the penalties government thrusts upon American citizens based off personal decisions.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Wholly legal without restriction.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): There should be no difference between a straight marriage and a gay marriage. It should simply be called 'Marriage'. Same-Sex relationships and marriages should not be restricted in any way by the government.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: I think this whole "debate" on gay marriage is the biggest time filler created by the news media in the history of the nation. Many conservatives have recently "came out" in favor of civil unions in an effort to remain relevant, but the fact of the matter is, a "civil union" is legalese for government-licensed marriage itself. I honestly have no problem with gays getting married, but let's please leave this debacle to the vultures and move on with more important things.
 * What is your position on abortion?
 * Senator Ryder: Ban after 9 weeks
 * Representative Thorpe: I have no issues with abortion. It current statue is enough and good for everyone.
 * Senator McCarthy: I am certainly pro-choice.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH): Abortion has been one of the most divisive issues in American politics since Roe vs. Wade was decided over 40 years ago. While I am personally opposed to abortions, I don't see the government as having a role in forcing its opinion upon all of the American populace.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): The government must end its war on women by providing additional funding and preventing states from placing unconstitutional restrictions on abortion, as seen in Texas and Alabama. That said, the standards set out by Roe vs. Wade seem fair guidelines.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Similar to Senator Recks, I myself dislike abortion. Yet my opinion should not influence the choice of women nationwide. While I am totally opposed to abortion being used as a sort of birth control, I have yet to see it implemented in such a fashion. Abortion should be legal as long as a certified doctor says it would be safe for the woman undergoing the procedure.
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY): Abortion has been a very broad and contreversial topic for many years. Since prople from different parts of the country cannot decide the national position on abortion, I propose individual states choose their position on this.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: As usual, the debate on abortion has degenerated into partisian nose-thumbing. People make a lot of noise about all of the special cases in which the mother's life is threatened, but they really only constitute a small percentage of all abortions. In the majority of cases, it's a conflict of liberties (right to life vs right to control one's body). As far as I'm concerned, the current laws have served us well enough, and have given us safe and humane abortions, so I say we keep Roe vs Wade.
 * How much funding should Planned Parenthood receive from the federal government?
 * Senator Ryder: Some
 * Representative Thorpe: Some
 * Senator McCarthy: Not too much as to completely drain our budget, but enough so that it can continue to successfully encourage birth control and proper reproductive health services to all women in this country.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): As much as necessary to ensure that reproductive health services are widely available.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Planned Parenthood is essential to the lives of some women, it offers healthcare, not just abortions, to women that are underprivileged and should definitely be funded by the federal government.
 * What restrictions do you support on the purchase of guns and ammunition?
 * Senator Ryder: If you have been to prison for more than a year or have a mental health issue. Plus no automatic weapons otherwise go nuts.
 * Representative Thorpe: I oppose the restrictions on guns, as every American must be able to access needs to protect himself. We have the right to protect ourselves and our country.
 * Senator McCarthy: We should limit the accessibility of guns to the general public, especially former criminals and the mentally ill. The Constitution says that a "well-organized militia" should have the right to bear arms, not the general public.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): We must end the spate of recent mass shooting by drastically reducing the availability of guns, especially automatic weapons, which should be banned, and implementing full background checks on all gun purchasers, as well as ensuring that all gun sales are regulated. The Second Amendment is, like any other right, qualified.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): There must be a background check implemented on the sale of all guns that would not allow those who have been to prison for a major offense or the mentally unstable to buy a gun. Also, automatic weapons must be made illegal, no one needs such a dangerous weapon, it would most definitely not be very helpful for self defense.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH): Here's the problem: the asker presumes us to support restrictions on gun ownership! We ought to be asked whether or not we support restrictions at all - and the clear answer is that any restriction on gun rights is unconstitutional! As Governor of New Hampshire, I supported open carry without licensure, and as a Senator, I've been a vocal supporter of national concealed-carry reciprocity, a fight we will win if I am elected President.
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY): Perhaps we should look at the Second Amendment, "...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It already has been shown that more guns equal less crime, so why should there be restrictions? Most mass shootings were in areas that were gun free zones (the recent Paris attacks as an example). If I'm elected president, you will be able to protect yourself confidently, knowing that I don't want to change your resriction on what you want to protect yourself with.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: People have been completely misled on gun control. Nobody cares about facts for their own sake anymore, instead both sides distort them to push their own agendas. Violent crime in the US has steadily declined since its heydey in the 1920s, but we still lead developed nations in gun violence. However, the "leading developed nations in gun violence" statistic is frequently pulled out of context, with liberals claiming that the US has the highest rate of violent crime/murder in the developed world. This is false. Many European nations have higher rates of murder than the US, and do you honestly care whether someone uses a gun, knife, their fists, or whatever to kill someone? Death is death. Granted, we need to shore up background checks and the like to discourage mass shootings, but we need to adopt policies that don't restrict the rights of law-abiding Americans to own guns to preserve our right to bear arms while maximizing national security.
 * Should marijuana be decriminalized?
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY) - Yes, though the public must be informed of it's side effects on the human body and the ingredients in the drug. Liberterian doctrine says that Personal freedoms should not be determined by the government.
 * Senator Ryder: No
 * Representative Thorpe: No
 * Senator McCarthy: Yes. Marijuana has been proven to be less harmful for your long-term health than cigarettes and alcohol, and we could easily put a tax on marijuana in order to increase our income.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Marijuana should be legalized, and preferably monopolized by the government as seen in Colorado. Not only that, but we should follow Portugal's lead by making possession of ten days' or less supply of any drug an administrative rather than criminal offence (i.e. subject only to fines).
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Yes, as we have seen in Ireland, where all drugs were decriminalized and only the selling of drugs made criminal, crime has decreased. Furthermore, the legalization of Marijuana would have a positive effect on the country's economy as it can be taxed easily. Also, Marijuana is not nearly as harmful as tobacco and alcohol, which are legal, so the death toll would not likely increase due to the legalization of Marijuana.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH): Marijuana should not only be decriminalized, it should be legalized for all citizens to be able to use responsibly. Studies are showing the drug to be safer than alcohol and tobacco, and instead of allowing American adults to make their own decisions we are throwing more non-violent individuals into jail than nations like China, Russia, and Iran. It's time to take the bold step forward by legalizing marijuana nationally.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: As a university student in UCLA and later a resident of the artist's colony of Mendocino, I can say I have a fair share of experience regarding marijuana (it's a wonder some of you trust me when I open my mouth regarding other subjects). Though marijuana can be used recrationally and successfully taxed and regulated, if we fully legalize marijuana, we will not be just letting a couple of hippies pass around a joint in their basement in peace, we will be inevitably creating a "big tobacco"-style machine that runs on addiction and dependence. Now I honestly think that there is no problem with legalizing marijuana if we regulate it heavily, especially preventing a marijuana lobby from emerging (and cutting down on other lobbyists, but that's a whole other story...)
 * Should corporations be able to fund campaigns through PACs?
 * Senator Ryder: Yes
 * Representative Thorpe: It is a free country.
 * Senator McCarthy: I believe so. While there is a small risk of corruption, their intentions are almost always for the greater good of us politicians.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): No, corporate money is destroying the political process and making politicians beholden to wealthy interests.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Super-PACs allow companies to buy candidates and are a form of legal corruption, it allows companies to have more of a hand in the government than citizens, ruining the democracy this country stands for. Anyone who says otherwise has likely taken major contributions from large, private enterprises.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH): While I don't have a problem with super PACs funding campaigns, our current system is stacked unfailry against the everyday American. Middle class Americans are limited in how much they can donate to their favorite candidates while big business has no such limitation. If its your legally-earned money, then you should be able to spend it however you please.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: Of course not. Super PACs are essentially a form of legalized corruption that have, through gentleman's agreements and legal fiction, come to strangle our nation and prevent our nation from working in the way it was intended to. How else can you explain a nation where the vast majority of Americans are distrustworthy of our government, but we have political dynasties dominating politics? We need to outlaw Super PACs and restore the legitimacy of our government.
 * Should the NSA be able to collect phone records?
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY) - No. The government has no right to interfere with the right of the people's 4th amendment right to not have their property searched for information. The government has no right to see or hear whatever you say, think, or do.
 * Senator Ryder: If they are of suspect nature or background such as having the name Mohammed, Yes
 * Representative Thorpe: Yes, as this is an important part of the job the NSA does to protect our country against terrorism.
 * Senator McCarthy: If they are suspected terrorists or criminals, yes. Everyone else should be allowed to keep their privacy.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Only under strict judicial oversight, with the same restrictions as are applied to search warrants.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Terrorism is a serious threat to this country, the NSA helps keep us safe. However, phone records of every average joe, shouldn't be collected. The NSA should only keep it's eyes on suspected criminals in order to prevent crime and terrorism.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH) : The right of the people to be secure in their persons is enshrined in our Bill of Rights. The PATRIOT Act and the NSA's bulk collection of metadata not only directly contradict our Constitution, but they also make it more difficult to spot terrorists because of the piles of non-terrorist data that is being picked up by the millions. Reforming the NSA will not only preserve freedoms, but it will also make our nation safer against terrorism.
 * Should the government raise the retirement age for social security?
 * Senator Ryder: No
 * Representative Thorpe: It is something we should concider.
 * Senator McCarthy: No. The age of 65 is a good enough age for us to begin providing social security, and raising the retirement age isn't going to be that beneficial to us in the long run.
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY) - The government should find a way in the long run to make social security age older. When the program was adopted back in 1935, the average life expectancy was shorter than it is today. So yes, the retirement age should be moved backed one month a year until we reach a more appropriate age for our life expectancies.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): The government should be doing more, not less, to help low-income seniors. No.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): No, there are many people age 65 who already find it hard to retire due to taxes taken by the government. We should consider lowering the amount of taxes we take from social security.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH) : When Social Security was adopted back in the 1930s, its purpose wasn't to provide an income for retired folks. It was meant to prevent the extremely old from falling into poverty; indeed, the average life expectancy in 1935 was less than 65! Over time, we must restore Social Security to its rightful place as insurance for those who outlast their retirement saving and live beyond their average life expectancy.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: As is, the retirement age is fine, but if the Social Security fund runs into trouble, we'll need to raise the age. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
 * What steps should the government take to make college more affordable?
 * Senator Ryder: All students who wish to apply for college loans must become a reservist to receive a loan for college to be repayed in Federal taxes over their lifetime.
 * Senator McCarthy: We should limit the amount that students have to pay for tuition for college.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Preferably, by making college free as seen in Denmark or Norway, perhaps funded by a capital gains tax.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-N): Many students land themselves in debt up until retirement age because they wanted a good education and opportunity for themselves. I believe that here in the states we should follow the lead of Scandinavia and make college free for students.
 * Senator Luke Recks (L-NH) : If we analyze college affordability from an economic perspective, an interesting conclusion arises: as federal programs such as Pell grants increase, the price of college increases. Why is this? Supply remains constant as demand surges. To solve this problem, we need to use common economic sense and make federal programs contingent upon universities keeping tuition down for all students. We must also make student loans more affordable by getting political interests out of the way and allowing the free market to solve the problem.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: In this case, I think we should take a cue from the Scandinavian countries. To allow poor students the ability to go to college without picking the pockets of the many, we should make state college free or at least heavily reduced if students with parents under a certain income level score high enough on their SATs.
 * Do you support the Common Core?
 * Senator Ryder: Yes
 * Senator McCarthy: As a moderate liberal, I certainly do. The Common Core provides a greater mental challenge for children to face, and in the long run it'll make our youth even smarter and more aware of the current situation our country is facing.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Yes.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): I agree with some degree of standardization in education but I believe that the current common core curriculum is not very effective. i support experimenting with charter schools to find better options for school curriculums nationwide.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: Yes, as it gives people all across the nation a fair and equal chance in life via education. However, we need to reform our curriculum to make it more effective. We need to continue ironing out the kinks as Common Core matures.
 * Should the government allow the Death Penalty?
 * Senator Ryder: Yes
 * Representative Thorpe: Yes
 * Senator McCarthy: I believe not. The death penalty costs us too much yearly, and is an unusually barbaric and cruel thing to do in 2016.
 * Representative Afewerek (D-MN): No. It is cruel and unusual and thus unconstitutional.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Hundreds if not thousands of innocent people have been sentenced to death and then exonerated afterward. This is unacceptable and on top of that the death penalty is very expensive, I believe everyone would benefit from it's discontinuation.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: At this point in time, the death penalty is only around because some people want it to be around. It's hardly ever used and it costs more than it should. From a purely economic standpoint, we should discard the death penalty.
 * To what extent do you support affirmative action?
 * Senator Ryder: None
 * Representative Thorpe: I have some support for it, as long as the competences of someone stay the primary focus.
 * Senator McCarthy: I believe that affirmative action is severely flawed. Instead of supporting and encouraging our minorities to engage in activities that would normally be stereotyped as nothing they could achieve, our major corporations purposely look out to employ people of color just to make them seem more racially diverse instead of hiring the most efficient person onto the job. This is an example of reverse discrimination, and it either needs to be outright abolished or significantly reformed.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): The structural obstacles to the success of minorities mean it is essential for an equitable nation.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Affirmative action is not perfect, but it allows millions of people of color in the United States to achieve higher education and gain the opportunities that they deserve to become successful.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: Affirmative action is a distortion of the core American tenant of equality before the law. With my plans to discount state college for low-income students, affirmative action becomes a burden on the American government and will be, hopefully, phased out.
 * Do you believe global warming exists? If so, what should the government do to stop it?
 * Senator Ryder: It exists but it is the fault of China and India largely and all we can do is make moderate investments in finding green technology to replace our current tech without creating inefficiencies.
 * Representative Thorpe: Global Warming is just something made up to slow down our economy.
 * Senator McCarthy: Global warming is a huge problem in our nation, and we are the ones that primarily cause it. China and India certainly don't help the situation, but we're basically forced to deal with this ourselves as a nation. As such, we must adopt more green and environmentally-friendly energy sources and technology in order to halt global warming.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): Yes, it is real, imminent and potentially devastating, and we need to end coal power production, increase subsidies for solar and wind power, and fund sustainable technologies such as electric cars. Strict emission targets should be enforced through a cap-and-trade system or carbon tax, and the United States should sign onto the Kyoto Protocol and endorse a 1.5 degrees target in global temperature rise.
 * Governor Ron Jones (L-KY): Personally, I not believe that global warming exists. Climate forecasters have been calling for a catestropic increase in global tempratues for decades, but nonetheless their predictions were wrong. Also, if global warming exists, why is there a record amount of artic and antartic ice? This entire global warming idea has also called for regulation if C02 emmissions, which are essential to factories in developing countries and buisnesses. The earth has also naturally warmed and cooled down during it's history, and we are currently in a time period where it is warming up (heck, the last Ice Age was only 20,000 years ago). The public must be informed that countries and busnisesses are being crippled by regulations, and that the earth naturally warms and cools down over periods of time.
 * Abdallah Salem (D-NY): Climate change is one of the most pressing problems of our time. Our actions today dictate how we live mere decades from now. We must carry out legislation to reduce greenhouse emissions of our country. We must also place more government funding toward the research of renewable and clean energy sources. While it is easy to blame the problem of climate change on countries such as China and India we must understand that we are the world's second biggest greenhouse gas emitter and this must be changed.
 * Mayor Abram Klements: I believe global warming is the #1 problem that the world will face in the 21st century. Though it may not be completely apparent by now, the vast majority of scientists believe that it is happening, and the evidence backs them up. Many will argue that even if global warming does exist, we have more pressing problems as is. If so, will we have to wait until global warming has reared its ugly head and become a much larger dragon. What will we think then? No, we need to tackle the problem while it is still managable. I propose a carbon tax and cap and trade laws to begin the transition to renewable energy, and subsidies towards renewable energy development.

Economic Issues

 * What is your tax plan (one of the most important questions)?
 * Senator McCarthy (D-CT): I plan to increase taxes on the upper class, and also slightly increase taxes for the upper middle class as well. I will use this extra money in our budget to fund other significant programs, such as education and better health care for our citizens.
 * Representative Thorpe: Americans have the right to use their money like they want. The taxes are already to high, and I plan on cutting them as soon as I'll arrive in office.
 * What do you plan to do about the growing debt?
 * Senator McCarthy (D-CT): All we have to do in order to fix this debt is properly control our budget. If we can raise the income tax and provide greater protection for the fragile real estate business that caused us to plunge into a recession just almost a decade ago, I believe we can certainly keep this economy afloat.
 * Representative Thorpe: The dept is mainly due to the large among of expanses from the Walker Administration. Cuts in governments programs that are useless will be needed to deal withthe debt.
 * What do you plan to do about social security?
 * Senator McCarthy (D-CT): Social security is something we shouldn't necessarily touch until we can properly manage our budget. Once that happens, then we can fix social security so more of our lower class elderly citizens can afford to live in peace and prosperity without worrying about their next meal or place to sleep.
 * Representative Thorpe: I believe that we should reduce Social Security. If not, we'll end up just like Canada, where some peoples literally live out of Social Security for years! We need to stimulate the economy, not slow it!
 * Do you think that the large banks in the US should be broken up?
 * Senator McCarthy (D-CT): I certainly believe so. These major banking corporations are choking out smaller banking companies and abusing capitalism, so I think we must establish more anti-trust laws that protect these small businesses from instantly failing.
 * Representative Thorpe: Although I believed we had some thrust issues with them in the recent years, I do believe that the Banks o America are one of the pillars of our economy" We just need to made sure to put in place programs to help them in case of needs, so that no major crisis could come out of it.
 * If the government required you to cut funding to some government programs, what would you cut?
 * Senator McCarthy (D-CT): I would possibly cut the Common Core and a few other education programs. The youth of America is important, but we must establish at least basic healthcare and social security to our older citizens.
 * Representative Thorpe: We must cut in the healthcare and all those programs. Americans should be able to protect themselves without the government telling them to do it.
 * What should the federal minimum wage be?
 * Senator McCarthy (D-CT): We should raise it from $7.25 to a solid $9, which is enough to support at least a low-income family for a fair while.
 * Representative Thorpe: The minimum wage should be able to support the Americans and help them to live their life to their fullest.
 * How do you plan to lower the unemployment rate, and help those currently unemployed?
 * Senator McCarthy (D-CT): I plan to lower it by increasing the minimum wage so jobs can be more attractive to unemployed citizens, and I believe we must slightly decrease the amount of welfare our unemployed citizens recieve in order to encourage them to look for jobs in the market.
 * Representative Thorpe: First, we must make sure that our jobs are not steal by illegal immigrants. Then, we need to help the corporations and enterprises in their attempt to stimulate economy and create new jobs all over America.
 * Do you believe labor unions help or hurt the economy?
 * Senator McCarthy (D-CT): Labor unions help maintain our workers great pay, defend their rights in the workplace, and various other righteous things. They certainly are great organizations.
 * Representative Thorpe: When they were created, they did help America to get where it is now. But I think that today's Unions are just slowing economy and making life more difficult for both employers and workers.
 * Should the government continue to subsidize farmers?
 * Senator McCarthy (D-CT): Farmers provide a majority of our daily resources, of course I do.
 * Representative Thorpe: We should found our farmers, as it help us protect our market against foreign influence.
 * Do you support deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership?
 * Representative Thorpe: I totally support the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as it is a great way to get closer with our partners in Asia.
 * How can the US achieve energy independence?
 * Representative Thorpe: I believe that we must still continue to help the petrol industries, but that we must also seek for new sources of energy in a close future.
 * What do you plan to change about the current healthcare system?
 * Representative Thorpe: We can all see that the current healthcare system is not working. If I am elected to office, I will change it to make it more profitable for all America.
 * Should the government increase a tax on fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emmissions?
 * Representative Thorpe: Doing so would only help us kill one of our most important industries in the country, and it would brought the country to recession.

Foreign Affairs Issues
Read Backstory for deatils.
 * What should the US do about its illegal immigrants?
 * Representative Thorpe: Illegal immigrants are a danger for the rights of every American for a safe job. All they do is stealing local jobs, and we should not allow that.
 * Senator McCarthy (D-CT): We should have tougher legislation that can easily identify any hostile threats to our country, but we should still welcome them in.
 * Senator Afewerek (D-MN): America's strength lies in immigration. With net migration from Mexico now negative, and illegal immigrants an essential part of our economy who do jobs no one else is willing to do, we need to provide a comprehensive path to citizenship for all illegal migrants within our borders, halt the oppressive policies states like Texas apply to illegal immigrants through federal action, and extend federal benefits to illegal immigrants in the immediate term.
 * How much should the US be spending on its military? What cuts should there be, if any?
 * Representative Thorpe: Cuts? In this period of war and terrorism? We should spend as much as necessary to make sure that the troops can defend America and democracy.
 * Should the US intervene in Syria (Syria is different than in OTL, read the backstory)?
 * Representative Thorpe: Some say that we should stay here and no interfere as democracy is destroyed and populations are murdered. We need to act now, I say, and bring true democracy in the Middle East! Only America can do it, and we will act accordingly.
 * Should the US accept refugees from civil wars in the middle east?
 * Representative Thorpe: Would you let a stranger in your home and tell him "Come in! And don't forget to blow my house and kill my daughter!"? Would you?
 * How can the US stop terrorism at home?
 * Representative Thorpe: Former President Conroy did a lot for our country, but after he left office, it became clear he didn't do enough to protect our country against terrorism. Many is still to do, and I will be the one who will bring down terrorism in America. No more boms, no more deaths. A safe America for the Americans!
 * What is your opinion about the Iran nuclear deal? What actions will you take regarding this?
 * Representative Thorpe: One of our priority is to make sure that our allies in the Middle East must be protect from any possible nuclear threat from Iran. Should Iran show any sign of building a nuclear weaponry, we will act accordingly.
 * How will you protect against cyberattacks and hacking such as the attack that Russia did in 2014?
 * Representative Thorpe: We must react accordingly against Russia, and make them understand that we are in charge. Should I be president, I will not tolerate any sort of assault against our national security like President Walker did.
 * What do you think of President Walker's actions to lift the embargo with Cuba?
 * Representative Thorpe: Although it is a good thing to see Cuba finally accepting capitalism, I think the President should have asked for more out of this deal. Our position in Cuba is still difficult, and Walker could have done something about it. He didn't. In the end, Cuba came winner out of it instead of us, and it is someothing we canno't tolerate.
 * Should the US continue to support Israel? Should it recognize Palestine?
 * Representative Thorpe: Israel as been our friend for more than half a century, and we should continue this great relation with them. We should also help Israel reach peace with Palestine, in order to bring preace in the Middle East.
 * How much foreign aid should the US be giving?
 * Representative Thorpe: I think most country are good enough to do it on their own. However, I think America would be willing to help anyone in order to help democracy.
 * How do you plan to stop the growth of Al Qaeda and the Sharia Caliphate?
 * Representative Thorpe: If we do anything other than direct action against them, it will be inefective.
 * How should the US act regarding Russia following their cyberattack and actions in Crimea?
 * Representative Thorpe: We should coordonate our efforts with the European Union and make Russia understand that they do not have their place in Ukraine.
 * Should people Muslims be allowed to immigrate to the US? What if they are from a suspect country such as Libya?
 * Representative Thorpe: Although our country is built on immigration, I believe we should strenghten our immigration policies and only allow those that we are entirely sure that they will be no threat to our country.

Resources
There are five "resources" which each candidate must use. See above for explanations. Each candidate gets fifteen total "resource" points to allocate between the five resources. Independent and Libertarian candidates may not spend more than five points on Name Recognition. This is just your baseline, but some of your decisions will affect this.

Please post your baseline resource allocations below:

Richard Thorpe:
 * Name Recognition: 2
 * Trustworthiness: 3
 * Likeability: 4
 * Fundraising: 1
 * Legitimacy: 5

Robert McCarthy: 
 * Name Recognition: 4
 * Trustworthiness: 4
 * Likeability: 5
 * Fundraising: 1
 * Legitimacy: 1

Abdallah Salem:
 * Name Recognition:3
 * Trustworthiness:2
 * Likeability:6
 * Fundraising:1
 * Legitimacy:3

Lelia Afewerek:
 * Name Recognition: 3
 * Trustworthiness: 3
 * Likeability: 7
 * Fundraising: 1
 * Legitimacy: 1

Ron Jones (L-KY) Senator Ryder Luke Recks (L-NH) Abram Klements
 * Name Recognition - 4
 * Trustworthiness - 2
 * Likeability - 2
 * Fundraising - 3
 * Legitimacy - 4
 * Name recognition- 3
 * Trustworthiness- 2
 * Likeability-2
 * Fundraising- 5
 * Legitimacy- 3
 * Name Recognition: 5
 * Trustworthiness: 3
 * Likeability: 2
 * Fundraising: 1
 * Legitimacy: 5
 * Name Recognition: 5
 * Trustworthiness: 1
 * Likeability: 7
 * Fundraising: 1
 * Legitimacy: 1