Emily S Davenport

[b]NS Nation Name:[/b] [nation]Imperial Esplanade[/nation]

[b]Character Name:[/b] Emily S. Davenport

[b]Character Gender:[/b] Female

[b]Character Age:[/b] 52

[b]Character Height:[/b] 5'5

[b]Character Weight:[/b] 124 lbs.

[b]Character Position/Role/Job:[/b] United States House of Representatives (CA-34), House Committee on Natural Resources (Member 2007-2016, Ranking Member 2013-2018, Chairwoman 2018-).

[b]Character Appearance:[/b] [spoiler=Rep. Emily Davenport][img]https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1068180241258995712/DFf2se46_400x400.jpg[/img][/spoiler]

[b]Character State of Origin:[/b] California

[b]Character State of Residence:[/b] California

[b]Character Party Affiliation:[/b] Democrat

[b]Main Strengths:[/b] Emily is a strong orator and is an gregarious person, thus she has always had found little-to-no issues with her ability to network or reach out to fellow members of Congress. This has, incidentally, led to her enhanced ability to fund-raise and to maintain a decent approval rating with her constituents, upon conducting events such as town halls or other meet-and-greets on a somewhat regularly-recurring basis.

[b]Main Weaknesses:[/b] Emily is an extremely partisan individual, to the point of fault, and has been involved in politics for much of her life such that she has become synonymous with the perception of a true "career politician," as well as having an occasional regrettable choice in her publicly-disclosed voting history.

[b]Biography:[/b] Born an raised in the small town San Clemente, situated just south of the city of Los Angeles, to a social conservative pastor father and an equally-so stay-at-home mother, Emily has credited her frequent run-ins with them, and acts of rebellion as a child and a teenager (albeit jokingly), as one of her initial "signs" that she was stubborn enough to ought to run for political office one day in her future -- a dream she never considered until her collegiate years. Emily, along with her five other siblings, grew up in a middle class home, only moving out of San Clemente once she was admitted to Stanford University up north in Santa Clara County, going with her longtime boyfriend from high school, Hal Davenport.

Originally attending Stanford with the intention of becoming a school teacher, Emily switched her major to study political science in her sophomore year of college. Upon graduating as part of the class of '89, Emily moved to Washington D.C. to intern with her Congressional representative's office from back home for a year, citing the experience as "integral to her growth," and saying it had "laid the foundation of her desire to seek running for Congress" as well. Emily stayed in Washington, working for her representative, for an additional two years before volunteering to be a part of the Clifford Presidential campaign during the 1992 Presidential Election. Emily described her time with the Clifford campaign, assisting across the state of California -- but especially focusing in the L.A. metropolitan area, saying it was "equally challenging as it was rewarding," and that she then openly considered moving to Washington, D.C. to work full-time in any capacity for any Democratic politician who would be willing to hire her thereafter.

Yet, as fate would have it, she was unable to find employment and eventually returned home; yet following the Republican Revolution of 1994 that saw her district (among many others) flip from Democrat to Republican, Emily made the determination to run for Congress in the next cycle, two years later, in 1996, at just 29 years old. Her first attempt to run for office was an utter, abysmal failure (to put it lightly) however; and Emily hardly captured 1% of her district's vote -- falling in last place for the election. In 1998, Emily tried again, and failed once more with only getting 3% of the vote following an intensive effort in grassroots campaigning. Feeling deflated, exhausted, and defeated, Emily and her then-now-husband, Hal, moved to Los Angeles once he earned a promotion with an engineering firm based out of the city, and Emily found work with the City of Los Angeles shortly after, serving as an assistant to the mayor for three years -- a job that, as she has stated, "gave her the spark back." Emily left her job with the mayor's office in 2004, focusing heavily on local activism ahead of the 2006 midterms election, and decided to attempt running for Congress once more in spite of the previous two attempts back in her hometown. With the incumbent Democrat retiring, leaving an open seat for the election, Emily managed to squeak by in the primary, and she went on to win the general election against a surprisingly strong Republican challenger. As a Congresswoman, beginning in 2007, Davenport's record has largely followed the Democratic whip -- and continues to do so to this day, continually earning her the ire of anti-establishment activists and those generally discontent with the Democratic party in her district. Yet, despite a scare in the 2012 primary where she nearly lost to a local progressive hardliner activist, Davenport has held a mostly-firm grip on her district, easily winning re-election time and again, ever since.

[spoiler=Political Positions][u][b]Foreign Policy[/b][/u]

[b]NATO:[/b] Davenport believes that the Wolf administration, and by default the Republican Party as a whole by association via their silence on the matter, has been intentionally neglecting the most important alliance in America's repertoire and that repairing the relationship America has with NATO countries is of utmost priority as it relates to the foreign policy agenda of the United States. She believes the Republican treatment on NATO nation is a dangerous precedent, and that America must treat friends as friends and foes as foes.

[b]Afghanistan:[/b] September 11th, 2001 will be eighteen years ago, and we have soldiers on the front lines to fight an enemy in "America's Longest War," who have no recollection of the events that transpired on that fateful day nor are able to recall life prior. Emily believes it is time to withdraw our forces, and to entrust and support the Afghanistan government in maintaining its' stability as it continues to combat terrorist threats from within.

[b]Iraq:[/b] Davenport has a somewhat conflictive voting record: initially opposed, yet turned mildly-supportive of the Iraqi Troop Surge in 2007; citing it as tactically critical to the mission, but yet shortly after has been sharply critical and dismissive of American involvement henceforth in the years that followed, something she has continued adhering to as of this day. As ISIS arose, Davenport staunchly opposed sending American ground forces to Iraq to help combat against the terrorist organization, saying she believed an international coalition that involved limited American forces was the only acceptable option.

[b]North Korea:[/b] Davenport has been cautiously optimistic as to the Wolf administration's attempts at brokering a diplomatic solution with the North Koreans at the time of negotiation, but has since called it "nothing better than a photo op for the two men," and has cited North Korea's continued nuclear ambitions as evidence to the Wolf administration's complete and total incompetence. Prior to the Wolf administration, however, Davenport has been supportive of diplomatic pressures and sanctions applied on the North Korean state and has generally opposed options of force against them.

[b]Russia:[/b] Davenport believes that President Wolf has been too friendly and warm to geopolitical foes, such as Russia, and has strongly rebuked his cordiality with President Putin in juxtaposition with President Wolf's public contempt and frustrations expressed against American allies. Davenport has strongly condemned the Russian government as a "cesspool of corruption," and has called on America to be more bold and strong in its' rebuke against "acts that undermine the integrity and stability of the modern world," especially so in Ukraine, and has frequently called the Republican Party "disgusting hypocrites" for not being as vocal in opposition to President Wolf's dealings with the Russian government as they were against President Baharia.

[b]China:[/b] Davenport has called China "the next great unknown," as in she wasn't certain in China was a existential threat to American supremacy or our greatest business partner in the modern world, and she has a mixed voting record between votes to strengthening trade relations with the burgeoning superpower and votes to support measures defending American interests from Chinese exploitation. Davenport has, however, stated that China is "weaponizing its' economy," and that the United States must work with other business partners to strengthen alternatives to China's economy and markets.

[b]Israel/Palestine:[/b] Davenport supports Israel's right to exist, as a state, and has since evolved to also call for Palestine's recognition as a co-equal state to that of Israel, favoring a two-state solution between them. Davenport did not support the Wolf administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel, calling the move "dangerously divisive" and "problematic in the movement to seek a two-state permanent solution."

[b]Iran:[/b] Davenport has always been critical of the Republican Party's hawkish views on Iran, calling them "warmongers seeking to create a new Iraq," and was supportive of President Baharia's Nuclear Deal to quell its' nuclear program. Not surprisingly, Davenport scolded President Wolf and the Republicans, both, for pulling out of the deal entirely and has since publicly questioned their collective competence on handling the issue of Iran.

[b]Saudi Arabia:[/b] Davenport is hesitatingly supportive of the relationship the United States has with Saudi Arabia; in public, she openly enthusiastically touts the partnership as "instrumental to the foreign policy agenda and interests of the United States," yet has been far less clamoring in private and has never endorsed any bills in support of the regime beyond an "aye" vote. However, following the alleged assassination of a high-profile Saudi journalist, Davenport has touted the party line in calling for accountability regarding Saudi Arabia.

[b]Libya:[/b] Initially, Davenport was supportive of the Baharia Administration, and its' implementation of the "no-fly zone," agreeing with the President (as nearly all Congressional Democrats had) on the grounds of a looming massacre and a political/societal crisis within the country. Yet, in response to the Wolf Administration's actions within the country, Davenport has been more muted, even suggested the United States ought to consider ceasing operations in Libya, to avoid being heavily-embroiled in yet another war.

[b]Syria:[/b] Unlike in Libya or Saudi Arabia, however, Davenport was highly, publicly supportive of the United States policy regarding the fight against ISIS/ISIL, and more muted in response to the Wolf Administration's actions in Syria. Her rhetoric, while toned, has been to suggest a standard cautionary tale against becoming meddled and over-committed in a foreign war, akin to Afghanistan or Iraq, even though she has also said that "defeating terrorism, wholly and completely" is required.

[b]Latin America:[/b] Davenport has expressed a desire to expand trade relations with Latin American countries, and American ties with each country, so as to combat against increasing Chinese influence in the region, and to keep the western hemisphere under U.S. geopolitical hegemony, and doing more to help combat domestic corruption and the prevalence of drug cartels south of the U.S. border, going insofar as to declare that "in the 21st century, we must ensure our own backyard is secure above all else, and that our neighbors know we stand with them. Their fight is our fight."

[b]Cuba:[/b] Davenport has expressed considerable support to the Baharia Administration's decision to open ties with the Cuban government, calling it "a step in the right direction, with many more to go," and has heavily slammed the Wolf Administration for "turning back the clock, and damaging the reputation of the United States, by deciding on a whim to put into place sanctions against our Cuban neighbors, for no other clear reason than to reserve progress under President Baharia."

[b]Venezuela:[/b] Davenport joins alongside many of her Democratic colleagues, calling the country a "dictatorship" under President Maduro, saying it is "unacceptable for us to remain silent against the face of such an extreme humanitarian crisis." Yet, has criticized calls or suggestions for war against Venezuela, calling them "warmongers who offer little actual solutions, only a bigger mess." Davenport agreed with the Baharia Administration's labeling of Venezuela as a national security threat, with their sanctioning of the economic interests of the nations, and has called for more against what she says is "a rogue nation."

[u][b]Domestic Policy[/b][/u]

[b]Healthcare:[/b] Davenport proudly touted the Affordable Care Act as "the fix our healthcare needs," and as "the first big step," and has continued to stand by her support of the bill; yet, Davenport has also gone on to suggest it requires "the next big step, an embrace of Medicare-For-All." Davenport made some headlines when, early in the GOP majority of late-2017, she called her Republican counterparts in both chambers of Congress "senseless cowards" for their support of "Wolfcare."

[b]Social Security:[/b] Davenport has mostly stayed quiet about the issue and challenges facing Social Security; yet has been on record suggesting that social security is in need of an overhaul, and that she supports the increasing, or even the elimination of, the payroll tax cap, while opposing the Republican view of raising the retirement age, saying that "some people cannot wait that long to retire," and that "it is another example of Republican obsessive efforts to kick the problem further down the line onto the next few generations."

[b]Climate Change:[/b] Davenport has continued to scorch Republicans for their positions on environmental issues, as a whole, and especially so on climate change. Davenport has cited her background in Christianity once, saying "as a daughter of a pastor, I know the Bible, and I remember God commissioning us to be stewards of the Earth since the Old Testament. The Republican Party proudly touts religion on one hand, as the basis for its' beliefs when it is convenient, but runs the other way and ignores the rest when it isn't. To ignore the obvious long-term detrimental harm we are committing on the environment isn't just negligent, it should be seen as blatantly sinful for those who aren't complete religious hypocrites." Davenport has publicly expressed her support to House Democrats calls for a "New Green Deal." Davenport has called for the Wolf Administration to reverse-course, and re-enter into the Paris Climate Agreement, and has once openly suggested that she wished "the Baharia administration would have made climate change a more pressing issue from the start."

[b]Pollution:[/b] Davenport has expressed support to the idea of a ban on single-use plastics, as well as calling for urgent action to clean up the world's oceans, saying "it isn't enough to fight against the climate challenges we face tomorrow because of our actions of today, we must save our oceans, and the fate of our existence on this planet, from ourselves today, right now."

[b]Abortion:[/b] Davenport is completely, and wholly, supportive of abortion rights, even though she has said that she would "never considered it an option" for herself.

[b]Taxes:[/b] Davenport supported the Baharia tax bill of 2010, as part of her support of the stimulus bill, though has since expressed some semblance of regret on the matter while opposing the Wolf-led Republican tax cuts of 2017, saying "if tax relief doesn't help the people who need it most, and if economic growth doesn't happen for the stagnant middle and lower classes of America, what even is the point of what we're doing here?" Davenport has accused "trickle-down economics" as being a fraud, and a guise to "help the rich get richer." Supports a Wall Street "speculation" tax, a top-tier "marginal" tax hike, and the increase of tax rates on the wealthiest of Americans.

[b]Federal Budget:[/b] Davenport supported the Baharia Administration's spending and tax policies, ignoring criticisms of the effects it would have on the budget, and largely has done the same regarding the Wolf administration, yet has said "long-term, of course our debt has to be paid-off;" and has since regarding Republicans are "disgusting hypocrites" for actively criticizing President Baharia's administration, on the grounds of the national debt, while "not lifting a finger against Wolf, despite doing far worse."

[b]Trade:[/b] Davenport has expressed support for NAFTA, as well as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, originally; yet, has taken a balanced-approach to the issue of trade, citing "environment and labor" as chief concerns she has moving forward in future trade negotiations, or re-negotiations, while saying she is open to revisiting the United States and its' involvement in any current trade deals, despite saying she isn't inherently opposed to NAFTA, or any other.

[b]Gun Control:[/b] Davenport has called for greater action, and activism, on the question of gun control, going insofar as to support mandatory buyback programs, as well as an assault weapons ban. "There is no need for a weapon of war, meant to be in the hands of our military, to be in the hands of ordinary people on the streets of America. This is the United States there is no need for this, and we have to act for the safety of our children."

[b]Education:[/b] Davenport supports the state's shouldering more fiduciary responsibility, on behalf of the students attending public universities and colleges, going insofar as to seek making them tuition-free for four-year students, while also doing the same for those seeking two-year associate degree educations at community colleges. Davenport supports Common Core standards.

[b]LGBTQ+ Rights:[/b] Davenport initially began her legislative career adopting a position as against same-sex marriage; yet, she supported the notion of a "civil union," only to reverse her stance in 2010 to openly supporting same-sex marriage and endorsing bills to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act in 2011. Fast-forward to today, Davenport calls for greater protections for LGBTQ+ Americans, suggesting a "new civil rights act may be necessary" to protect them against discrimination, and has called for Congress to act on banning conversion therapy for minors across the United States.

[b]Labor:[/b] Davenport has gravitated from a position of third-way economics, starting in 2006, and into a quasi-social democrat as of today. Davenport is supportive of mandating paid family and sick leave, and has taken positions of strong support in regards to labor and trade unions.

[b]Minimum Wage:[/b] Davenport, in 2013, supported efforts to raise the minimum wage to $10.10, and again supported efforts to raise the minimum wage in 2015 to $12.00, and now supports a $15.00 minimum wage as-of 2016 with an additional claim that it must be "indexed to a living wage."

[b]Criminal Justice Reform:[/b] Davenport is supportive of banning private prisons, declaring them to be a "modern institution of slavery," and calling them "cesspools of systemic racism." Davenport also supports mandating police officers wearing body cameras at all times, and the total abolishing of the death penalty.

[b]Banking Industry:[/b] Davenport was supportive of Dodd-Frank, and now as-of her 2018 election, has taken to the position that "no institution should become too big to fail," and that "banks ought to be forced to be broken up" should they reach such levels of financial unsustainability. Also, as-of 2018, Davenport vows she will act to ensure that interest rates on loans are to be capped at a reasonable rate so as to protect consumers from financial exploitation or from other predatory practices against them.

[b]Energy:[/b] Davenport, joining among the key contributors and endorsers of the "Green New Deal" movement, has clamored for incentives for the production of energy from solar, wind, and geothermal sources; although, Davenport has also drawn a contrast from many of the others in that she has also vocally supported nuclear energy, and touting it as a viable "bridge" between fossil fuels and the "energy of tomorrow." Davenport also supports the idea of a carbon tax, to help pay for the investments into a cleaner source of energy.

[b]Homeland Security:[/b] Davenport, upon beginning her political career, sided with the President in support of the PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act of 2011 and the USA Freedom Act of 2015, having initially refrained from commentary on the NSA spying scandal or sharing her opinion regarding the actions of Edward Snowden, saying on the matter "Mr. Snowden broke the law, but he brought to light a lot of concerns that many of us knew nothing about previously." Since then, Davenport has remained quiet on her opinion of him, and has kept to pivoting onto the point on seeking reforms within the homeland security apparatus while balancing between the national security interests of the United States and the civil rights and privacy of citizens and others alike.

[b]Agriculture:[/b] Davenport has stated that "even though I represent a big city, and come from a big city, I have just as much concern for rural America as any other." Davenport supports aggressive trust-busting and comprehensive rural-development and revitalization proposals, stating "rural America oftentimes experiences the brunt of hardship, economically and ecologically; and lower-income rural Americans deserve to see their dreams become as attainable as those anywhere else in America."

[b]Internet:[/b] Davenport endorses Net Neutrality, and suggests it ought to be codified into, and mandated by, federal law.

[b]National Park System:[/b] Davenport Supports extensive expansion of land claimed under the National Park Service across the United States, and the restricting of "ecologically-threatening activities" and the "expansion of the human footprint" within land claimed by the National Park Service.[/spoiler][b]Other Info:[/b] Emily's middle name is Stephanie, and her maiden name is Shaw. Emily was also a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority during her years at Stanford. Rumored 2020 Presidential Candidate, has formed an Exploratory Committee.

I have read and accept the rules of the roleplay: Imperial Esplanade.