The Presidential Standard, As Devised by the Veteran

The veteran would like to present, for your approval and commentary, proposals in the form of campaign speeches for a presidential candidacy. This will be a series of individual speech portions posted as I write them. This first section has been edited for typos, but not for conciseness. It deals with the addition of new checks and balances to all three branches of government, to provide a more equal balance between them.

Part I:

"Some of you are unsure of what to expect from me as a President. This is perfectly understandable... These last few years have been chaotic for those in all quadrants of the political map. I'm here to tell you today that I bring no definite, permanent solution to the table. I guarantee, however, that no other candidate can claim, in good conscience, to do so either.
I do bring, however, a plan that may well help to build our American future and reunite our divided populus. Long has partisan strife prevented effective solutions from being pushed through our august houses of legislature. The President was never meant to lead Congress. He was meant to review their decisions and to provide to them a transparent and realistic view of the situation on the ground, as well as to serve as one of many guides to help them conduct their business effectively and efficiently. The framers of our lauded Constitution saw each branch of government, legislative, judicial, and executive, as equal partners. As President I will seek to bring bipartisan cooperation and action back to our Congress through a program involving three things:
First of all, certain figures on both sides in the past have seen fit to draw voting lines in such a manner as to be overly beneficial to their individual parties. I will seek the support of the American people by direct referendum to tell the Congress that we will not accept unfair, ineffective partisan districting to upset the balance of our legislature. With your help, we can persuade the Congress to produce a nonpartisan independent committee to oversee all districting within the borders of our nation. These men and women will review all plans for redistricting prior to their implementation to ensure the maximum fair result, accurately representing all demographic sections. In this manner, we will ensure that all elected officials share power.

Second, I will work to provide appropriate criteria to ensure that members of Congress are fairly and accurately screened on a term basis for links to corrupt activity. I will NOT do so in a way that intrudes unduly into the private lives of these citizens, but rest assured, I will fight to see that all documentation detailing possible public-arena corruption are brought to light, and that these members are replaced by the good voters of their state. No state of our union should suffer the shame of a corrupt congressman pulling the wool over their eyes for years at a time. Again, I call upon you for your help in this matter. This will only be possible with the overwhelming support of the great American public, from which all our government power is born.

Last, I will seek fair and moderate term limits for the legislature. It is my feeling, and I hope you share it, that long-term members of Congress are tempted on a frequent basis to abandon the principles of good government for personal gain. No, lobbyists and large business contributors are not going to vanish, and to seek that would be a disservice to those groups and businesses that DO have the best interest of the public at heart. I propose, therefore, a stricter election standard for members who are completing their fifth term in the Congress. I propose that a congressman or senator who has maintained the trust and respect of his constituents will be able to claim a significant advantage in any term election. Therefore, I propose that members of the Congress that are seeking incumbent reelection to a sixth or further term must successfully procure a sixty percent share of the vote in a two-way election, and at least forty percent in a three way election. In the rare case of a higher split, this trend shall continue as the situation suggests. It is my sincere belief that this will keep our congressmen rotated in such a way to reduce corruption and overbearing seniority issues that cause unfair conflict in the hallowed halls of the Capitol.

As your President, I shall also seek to provide to you a fair and impartial judiciary. An overly partisan executive currently, either through proper appointments or recess appointments, can stack the judiciary in such a manner as to provide an overly biased view of our Constitution. Therefore, I propose that the Senate shall choose, by means of seniority, a committee evenly apportioned among all parties in the Senate, to provide a truly equal and fair consent for these appointments. In short, if the Senate is composed of three parties, the committee should be composed of two representatives from each party. If a party is only represented by one member, then that member shall have the authority to choose a second as his partner, with no restrictions on his choice. Thusly, we may be assured of the most impartial advice and consent possible for our judiciary nominees. In this way I feel that we can keep our Supreme Court fair and balanced, with no overwhelming majority ideology. Secondly, I propose that stricter standards are put in place for the legislature and the President to check corruption through a transparent account, on a case-by-case basis, of whether judiciary members may create a conflict of interest through opinions on certain cases.

None of this would make a true difference unless the executive branch were also appropriately and equally checked. I propose, therefore, that both the legislative and judiciary branches provide concise, accurate reports on all candidates, to be presented in an open manner to the populus at least one month prior to Presidential elections. These reports should take into account all criminal acts since the age of full majority, twenty-one. They shall also provide any evidence of corrupt activities in the political arena, as well as the private arena. Religious preferences, other personal beliefs, and other matters deemed appropriately private by the investigating committees shall not be part of the reports, as these matters are, in essence, part and parcel of these citizens' private lives and should only be discussed at the initiative of the candidates themselves. The reports should provide evidence directly, with no further analysis save for that which is deemed to need clarification, to prevent an overly biased presentation. These reports should also be revised and presented mid-term, to account for any further information the public should be privy to."

-J. Bradley Emery, Democratic Candidate

NOTE: The numbers I threw out for congressional terms are just that: numbers. Someone pointed out to me that they might be setting the bar overly high, and if I ever actually run, I'll get a research team on it so I can make them a bit more.... realistic.