Diaz for President
After much consideration, this publication humbly endorses Senator Matt Diaz for President of Amercia, and his running mate Senator Albus Potter for Vice President.
Why Diaz deserves your vote
In case our followers haven’t yet noticed, we are absolutely crazy about the prospect of Mr. Diaz as the next President of Amercia. Throughout the campaign, Mr. Diaz has been vocal about wanting to lead Amercia forward, and his progressive politics show it. In the debates, Mr. Diaz has consistently performed very well, winning the first debate hands-down and maintaining strong performances since. In both debates and his online presence, Mr. Diaz has maintained a calm, controlled and polished presence. Mr. Diaz has a strong grasp of policy, topped off with an air that is unequivocally, well, presidential.
From his advocacy for simplifying to tax code to investing in education and green energy, everything in Mr. Diaz’s platform is exactly what Amercia needs in the next four years. We don’t agree with every aspect of the senator’s platform – for example, we don’t agree with the Penny for NASA program – but we are very appreciative of Mr. Diaz’s open ear to new ideas. Steeped as we are in student debt, we are particularly fond of Diaz’s student debt forgiveness program as a way to get Amercia focused on STEM programs and competitive once more. It isn’t Sorkin’s tuition tax deduction, but hey, it’s a start.
Senator Albus Potter was an interesting pick for the Diaz ticket. When we broke the news (that happened), we were a bit surprised, but not disappointed. Mr. Potter’s organically positive campaign trail is a solid balance to Mr. Diaz’s more polished aggression. The candidates’ dress is a perfect symbol of the team: the clean-shaven Mr. Diaz in a fitted suit and tie with Mr. Potter’s bearded visage and quirky sweater. We were sorely disappointed that Mr. Potter could not participate in the vice presidential debate, though we certainly do not hold it against him. And while it isn’t a critical issue, it would be nice sign of progress to see a gay man as the vice president.
Why not Lawrence
We like Mr. Lawrence. A lot. He’s a level-headed businessman with a strong dislike for party politics – a quality Washingnot, D.C. could use a little more of. Mr. Lawrence has a firm grasp of fiscal issues, an important topic given the current state of the Amercian economy, and by the last debate, Mr. Lawrence stole the show. However, the primary goals of Mr. Lawrence’s platform seem to revolve around cutting government spending at a time when many of the Amercian people need a helping hand to get back on their feet (we are huge fans of FDR and the lessons he taught during the Great Depression). Mr. Lawrence’s insistence that Obamacare be repealed and refusal to intervene on a federal level on the issue of same-sex marriage also count against him in our eyes.
As we covered in our last post, Mary Ann Taylor has left quite the bitter taste in our mouths. Our interactions with her campaign make us wary of how she and her staff might interact with the media if they were to reach office. The media has always served a critical watchdog role for government, a role that is necessary for democracy and must be respected by politicians. Further, Ms. Taylor’s debate performances ranged from mediocre to poor, with the vice presidential debate turning into a veritable press conference for Mr. Countryman.
Why not Rhodes
Mr. Carter Rhodes is quite the interesting candidate. He started the campaign as a comedian, with a hilarious first ad that somehow managed to slip in a few issues of substance. Mr. Rhodes went on to win the Democratic nomination by plurality, but lose in the runoff. As the campaign season progressed, Mr. Rhodes’s campaign shifted between comedy and serious political discourse. This unsteady nature was perhaps most visible in the debates, when Mr. Rhodes would go from a deadpan factual monologue to fiery zingers with little or no warning.
We like Mr. Rhodes’ policies which, as Mr. Lawrence brilliantly illustrated in the final debate, are essentially those of Mr. Diaz. However, we find his somewhat bipolar campaign concerning for the tone his office would set. The tongue-in-cheek political engagement weaved throughout the Carter campaign is both fitting and welcome behind a faux news desk, but perhaps not in the Oval Office.
Mr. Countryman is, without question, the best vice presidential candidate on the field. His stunning debate performance and moderate politics would have been a remarkable addition to the Diaz ticket, and if the Rhodes/Countryman ticket had been reversed, we would have a terrible time picking between Diaz/Potter and Countryman/Rhodes. However, this isn’t the case. We hope Mr. Countryman the best of luck, and will be interested to see what 2016 holds for him.
