Nationalist Party Primary (Kannex)

[Kannex]

After 12 years of Democratic Party rule, the Kannexan Nationalists are ready to take back center-stage. To avoid party splits that had been so fatal to the Kannexan right in the past, the three leading candidates for the Party Leader of the Nationalists have been invited to a town-hall-style public debate before the votes are cast and the Nationalist candidate for Chancellor is chosen.

The announcer, an invisible voice booming on the loudspeakers, welcomes the audience to the second Nationalist Primary. Without further ado, he introduces the candidates one-by-one, to the fanfare of the national anthem, “God Save the Emperor.”

The first is Reinhard Mirano, veteran member of the former Liberal Party, an Army veteran, and a close ally of the former Chancellor Hans Kreutzer. The white-haired man trots to his podium. He gives a wrinkled smile through his thick bush of a mustache. His head is raised high; he places his hands on either side of the podium in a straightened, domineering pose reminiscent of a general. The old soul comes from Tiamat Province.

Richard Kloebner, a bulky man of neatly-combed chestnut hair, jumps out onto the stage. He waves to the camera, blowing kisses to the audience and sporting a shark-toothed grin. Although Kloebner, a thirty-ish business magnate, is a relative newcomer to the Nationalist Party, his persistent and rebellious personality has won him a huge following among young voters and blue-collar workers. He is a native of the economic hub Chemna.

Lastly, Jerem Tusk appears on stage. Tusk is lean and tall with slick black hair, about the same age as Kloebner. He waves and bears a twisted smile, a proud look about him as he takes the podium, nodding and looking over the audience. A former professor and lawyer, he is a native of Wallei Province. He is a consistent social conservative and a former leading member of the Fatherland Front.

Any member in the audience may now pose a question to the candidates in addition to the prompts of the moderators. As the producers are connected live to Kannexan viewers all across the country, anybody may submit a quesiton via text or email.

 

[Kannex]

Why should we choose you to be our next Chancellor?

MIRANO:
I am uniquely qualified to be the next Chancellor of this country. For all my life I have fought for the best of the Reich -- ask Herr Kreutzer, my good friend. In Congress I have voted consistently for the causes that matter. Together with my colleagues, I have voted against communism, against trade restrictions, and against union control of industries. As Chancellor, I will continue the policies laid down under the Liberal Party that have allowed for the prosperity of our Reich -- I will seek to promote free and fair trade, strengthening the friendship with our Helmebaine allies, and I will ensure that by 2020 we will be more energy self-sufficient than ever. This country needs a steady-handed Chancellor to lead this country in the next four years, and personally as an Army veteran, I will do everything in my power to ensure the Reich is safe --

MODERATOR:
Thank you, Herr Mirano! Next, Herr Kloebner.

KLOEBNER:
(Raises finger.)
Folks, I am not your average politician. I’m a man of business, and that’s what this country needs -- a guy that can get things done. We’re billions of dollars in debt and Henneburg has no idea what’s going on. He’s losing control -- we’re losing to the Latins, to the Wolvesh, even to the Guslants. What we need is a winner, and we need to get back on our feet. We need to teach the Syrixians that they’re going to have to take more responsibility in this relationship. As Chancellor, the first thing I will do is stem the flood of migrants that’s totally overwhelming our social support system. They’re bringing their religious radicalism, their non-Christian religions, their criminals, drugs -- we need to secure our borders and help the poor Kannexan worker at home. I’m talking to you if you’re in the working class -- blue-collar workers, I love them -- they’re the pillar of our society. Our workers have suffered long enough under the utterly stupid Democratic policies and I say, I will put a stop to this. Enough is enough! We need better healthcare, better work -- I will bring back jobs to this country -- Lohenstadt is becoming the automobile capital by 2020 again, I swear it. Together, I’m going to make the Reich strong again. I’m Richard Kloebner, and I want to be your next Chancellor.

MODERATOR:
Thank you, Herr Kloebner. Now, Herr Tusk?

TUSK:
Kannex has lost its way, friends. Since the Democrats took power we’ve been going downhill. We’re neglecting to fulfill our responsibilities to the people of Pelhafor and Rhuvanland. We used to be a great power but now where are we? The Democrats are more interested in making sure two men are allowed to get married, in making sure marijuana and acid are legalized, and making sure feminazis have the final say over what’s taught in our schools and colleges. Wake up, Kannex! They are more interested in breaking down Kannexan values and sneakily replacing them with an artificial ‘progressive’ theology. What we need is a revolution to reclaim our heritage. Now, I tell you -- I am a Christian first, and on the first day as Chancellor I will begin to fight with all my might to preserve true Kannexan values. I am Jerem Tusk, and thank you, Kannex.

MODERATOR:
Thank you, Herr Tusk.


Preliminary polls show the following:
R. Mirano - 22%
R. Kloebner - 37%
J. Tusk - 36%
Undecided - rest

 

[Kannex]

What is your stance in regards to the influx of refugees from the north?

MIRANO:
These are poor men, women, and children we're speaking of -- they're coming from godforsaken places where there is no law and order. They're escaping religious persecution and war. I declare that as the Kannexan Reich, as a civilized -- and Christian -- nation, it is imperative that we accept them. Kannex has always been a haven for immigrants and we should continue this proud tradition. We have our responsibilities to the international community and law and it is my intention, as Chancellor, to fulfill them.

KLOEBNER:
Look, we can't handle everyone. You have millions and millions of these migrants -- many of them fighting-age men, no less -- absolutely flooding our borders. And you see Henneburg isn't doing anything about that -- think about that for a second. Millions and millions of foreigners entering our borders and Henneburg is telling his administration to give everyone one of them a big, nice house at the taxpayer's expense, while our veterans are homeless on the streets and our schools are breaking apart. I'm telling you, this guy -- he doesn't know what's going on -- this government has its priorities wrong. You take them in, these refugees, and they'll overwhelm our welfare systems. You don't see countries like Pelhafor or Plembobria taking them by the numbers we have. Our responsibility is to our citizens first -- the day we don't distinguish between our people and those who enter our borders uninvited is the day we don't have a nation-state.

TUSK:
We can't continue the Democratic policy any longer. Day after day, our Reich is losing its character because of the irresponsible immigration policy of Henneburg and his Democrats in Weiterburg. We have to put an end to this -- they're teaching our kids that there don't exist objective truths and not to discriminate between right and wrong, and I think this is just another example of that. Why in the world would we let these people, who don't share our values, who in most cases won't bother to speak our language or assimilate with us, to become residents and later citizens of Kannex? We have to institute extensive background checks on everyone who comes into this country wanting to stay, to see whether they have a history of religious radicalism. It is especially important that we accept Christians fleeing from religious persecution.

 

[Kannex]

As Chancellor, how will you reorganize the administration?

MIRANO:
The administration in Weiterburg is bloated with endless red tape. We have a bureaucracy of gargantuan proportions that is slow and inefficient. The administration has failed to prevent an increasing number of terrorist attacks across the Reich over the past decade and as one of my colleagues have mentioned, we have our government absolutely failing in its duty to provide for our veterans. It is necessary to slim down the government to a workable size -- to slay the leviathan, so to speak -- in order to focus on our list of national priorities. My administration will reduce spending on wasteful Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Education programs -- ‘Arts in Education’, physical education grants, school improvement grants -- it is not the job of the national government to govern local schools. National budgets should go to national matters; local budgets should go to local matters. Our citizens will be best served when these programs are established on a more closer, local level. If a town in Nordmark wants to improve their middle school or set up a magnet school, who will know better, the local town hall or some bureaucrat in bureaucrat? Local governance is the Kannexan tradition and we’ll proudly carry it.

KLOEBNER:
The government is wasting our money, people. Me, as a businessman I’ve tried to pay as little as possible because I absolutely hate the way they’re spending my money. I mean, in the business world -- if you’ve been spending money on dumb stuff like the government has been -- you wouldn’t have money anymore, folks. And we’re already going bankrupt. We’re millions of dollars in debt. We’re going to cut the Ministry of Education -- why do we need even half of what we have now? Let local school boards handing schooling. When I’m in power we’re going to see less deficits, less debts -- and let me say, I absolutely detest those people who are filthy rich and pay virtually no taxes. We’re going to fix that -- I will sell imperial lands in Nordmark and in the east to businesses who will invest in the land and build something great out of it. I’m going to stop the government from taking advantage of college loans. And together we’re going to stop the government from wasting our taxes on so-called environmental protection and our huge healthcare bureaucracy and we’re going to spend it on what matters -- making the Reich stronger and better and more prosperous again.