User:GHoy64/sandbox/The Bull Moose Party (21st Century)

The Bull Moose Party (BMP) is a minor political party in the United States, founded in 2020 in reaction to the 2020 United States Presidential Election. There are active members in California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

The party is primarily concerned with breaking up big businesses, reducing outsourcing of jobs, progressive social policy, reducing student debt, creating a Guaranteed Minimum Income, investing in public education, modernizing the energy sector to protect the environment, and investing in mass transit. The party has begun to endorse local-level and statewide candidates in both Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Most of the administration of the party is handled over social media, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The party's Facebook page has 1.5 thousand likes, as of March of 2021.

Platform
Much of the organization's policy proposals follow the economic ideals of distributism and social ideals of liberalism or progressivism. The Bull Moose Party's "Principles" page on their site mentions the following as their party's focus:

A Fair Deal:

 * 1) Standing with workers: "The Bull Moose Party stands with the workers of this country and recognizes that the dissolution of unions in the last half-century has resulted in stagnant economic growth for the working and middle classes. The party will work to expand labor unions across sectors to help workers organize and negotiate."
 * 2) Busting Up Big Industry: "The Bull Moose Party acknowledges that the free market can produce monopolies within industries either with the help of the government or not. To combat this, our government should take a pro-competition stance in matters of business, including a policy of trustbusting."
 * 3) Opportunity Zones: "The Bull Moose Party recognizes that businesses in working class areas and worker owned businesses competing with wealthy corporations is a recipe for gentrification and small local business being taken over. This party stands with those small businesses and cooperatives by advocating for opportunity zones where there can be tax benefits for investing in those areas and tax relief for those specific businesses."
 * 4) Creating a minimum income: "There are far too many Americans who fall below the poverty line and who struggle to make ends meet at the end of the month. Government should fund a minimum income so that nobody falls so deeply into inescapable poverty. This policy is similar to Universal Basic Income, but only extends money to needy individuals, instead of already well-off citizens."
 * 5) Moving towards mass transit: "The automobile has done both wonderful and damaging things to this country. Those that can afford them have the flexibility of movement, yet many in our cities and suburbs who are less fortunate are limited to jobs and stores within walking distance. This country should make it a priority to invest in mass transit projects such as high speed rail and streetcars."
 * 6) For American students: "Our education system has become a one-size-fits-all approach to helping our children find their way in the world. This country has to ask itself what the priority of education is: to create more informed people, or to ready our youth for jobs? Then, we can adjust our education system to fill that need."

Fighting for Change:

 * 1) LGBTQ+ Rights: "For far too long, LGBTQ+ Americans have had to fight just to let the world know who they are. These Americans face similar issues we all do, but at a disproportionate level. The discrimination and injustice they face is something we can all take a part in fighting against, no matter who you are."
 * 2) Criminal Justice System Reform: "The American criminal justice system is broken, but not at all beyond repair. We have been fighting a war on drug use for 50 years, with nothing but mass incarceration to show for it, Mass surveillance of US citizens goes on without oversight, and police departments have been negligent over the biases of some of their officers. The Bull Moose Party will fight to reform the justice system to end all of these transgressions."
 * 3) Protecting Bodily Autonomy: "One of the hardest decisions a human may have to make in their life is on the issue of abortion. This is a deeply personal issue that the government should not have a say in. This decision is between a woman and her physician."
 * 4) Legalization: "The prohibition of marijuana has led to the exact consequences we knew it would: no regulation, more crime, and more prejudice. This party calls for the immediate legalization of marijuana and the expungement of cannabis-related crimes from criminal records."
 * 5) How we vote: "The United States' voting system is extremely broken. The way we elect people inherently supports a two-party state and The Bull Moose Party calls for ranked choice voting across the country."
 * 6) A Welcoming America: "We have to realize that we are a nation of immigrants and those risking everything to come to this country should not be turned away at the door. We should welcome those coming from everywhere and help them join our American community as smoothly as possible."

2020s

 * 2021

Wisconsin
In Wisconsin, The Bull Moose Party has endorsed Jill Underly for her run in the 2021 State Superintendent Race, citing her support from labor unions in the state, while also acknowledging her support for investing in public education and making schools "feel safe for everyone". The party also endorsed Daniel Machalik, who is running for the At-Large seat on the Common Council of Whitewater, Wisconsin.

Minnesota
In Minnesota, The Bull Moose Party has endorsed Michael "Mickey" Moore, who is running for the 9th Ward on the Minneapolis City Council. Moore also ran for Congress in 2020 for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District under the Legal Marijuana Now party, winning 37,979 votes, 9.5% of the total votes cast.