This interview was held on November 7, 2020 via text, every answer is printed here as given by the candidate with edits indicated in brackets. The Candidate was asked 6 questions, some of which were individualized. (S)= Soren, (C)=Carton

(S) Hello! Thank you for joining us. If you could start by telling us about yourself and what you’re running for?

(C) I’m Rémi Carton, I’m currently serving as Secretary of the Treasury, and I’m running on a unity ticket to be the Vice-President to Mr. Wonder. Before that I served for three terms in the House of Representatives, and for one term as a Senator for District 5, before becoming Secretary of the Treasury under then-President Ian and being confirmed in the job by President Lilburne.

I’m not running for yet another title though, I’m running to support Vice-President Wonder’s vision of offering the United States a path toward progress and the ability to thrive in a secure and peaceful world. That vision is a vision of economic prosperity and economic justice; of an America that leads the world in addressing Climate Change and protecting our planet and our children’s future; of a country where healthcare is easily and cheaply accessible to all Americans; of an America that restarts the middle class dream of climbing the social ladder thanks to a hard-working, good-paying job. That’s why we are running, and why we look forward to the election.

(S) Thank you. How are you feeling about your race?

(C) Eager. Vice-President Wonder and I are eager to hit the campaign trail, to meet with the American people, to hear from them, and to tell them of our vision. We’re not entering this race with any other expectation but to make our case, be heard, and be judged at the ballot box. We don’t see this election as a popularity contest or a title-grabbing opportunity: we approach it humbly and with fire in our heart. This election is a unique opportunity for this nation to look to the future and move forward rather than to dwell on the debates and the politics of the past, and we want to be the ones embodying this ambition for America. I for one am convinced that this is exactly what the American people is looking for in this new election, and that Vice-President Wonder and myself will prove our ability to be the faces of this change we all strive for. Now, it’s all about the hard work of convincing every possible voter of it.

(S) Thank you. Do you believe the Democratic and Socialist Party is united for your campaign?

(C) I believe this campaign isn’t about unifying two parties, it’s about unifying America around our common values and our common aspiration to greatness. Vice-President Wonder isn’t running for President, and I am not running for Vice-President because we want our parties to win an election, we’re running because we know what we stand for, and we want to lead the American people forward. I’ve seen enough partisan Presidents and enough partisan oppositions, and I firmly believe we must do away with the idea that a President race is a clash of parties. It’s a clash of personalities and a clash of ambitions. Our ambition is for America. Not for the Democratic Party. Not for the Socialist Party. For America.

It’s the nature of every election that it is seen as a partisan job. That’s how they are designed today, eventhough it wasn’t our Founders’ vision. I trust the Socialist Party and the Democratic Party share a mutual conviction that Vice-President Wonder is the best candidate for President, that he will be able to rely on me at his side, and that we will work hard to move this country forward as we promise.

(S) If elected, what will be your top priorities?

(C) We intend to work hard to continue addressing our country’s current challenges. That includes the degrading situation in Asia, the rising tensions between China and India, and our own role in international relations. There’s much to do to address the economic and strategic threats China and Russia pose. We also wish to push forward immigration reforms by building on recent bills passed by Congress to ease access into our country, all of which Vice-President Wonder and myself supported. Now that I have concluded, as Secretary of the Treasury, the review of our public finances and the state of our revenue, and we know our country is close to returning to a balanced budget, we intend to open a large, transpartisan debate on our tax policy to build upon the hard work already done by the Lilburne Administration.

President Lilburne was elected on a pledge to start this movement for tax reform, and he took the first decisive step, with Vice-President Wonder and myself at his side, as well as other distinguished Cabinet members. A Wonder Administration would be the best option to see this movement for reform through, with consistent leadership and open consultation. Something as important as tax reform can’t be a partisan or ideological job; it must be widely discussed, as it will eventually form the basis of a new social contract for America. We believe tax reform should help our middle class, include a small wealth tax on immense revenues, and an increase focus on the fight against tax evasion, as we started implementing under President Lilburne. Tax reform should also be the opportunity to address other systemic issues facing our country, starting with Climate Change: we will push for a tax relief for businesses operating on renewable energy as a mean to encourage rapid changes in our energy consumption model. Those are concrete proposals that we look forward to presenting to the American people and, if elected, to debate with congressional leaders.

(S) Thank you. What is your stance on Abortion?

(C) First let me say that I honestly wonder how this question, which I believe is an issue for the States and the Courts, is one for a candidate for Federal office, whose power it shouldn’t be to regulate abortions. I especially wonder how this ends up being the first specific policy question in basically every single interview or debate.

I respect those who believe life begins at conception. It is their fundamental right, and one that often is built in their personnal or religious convictions. My own convictions and my faith require me to be sensible to the suffering of my fellows, and the sad truth of abortion is that, if banned, it doesn’t disappears. Those who can afford it go abroad. Those who can’t go underground and risk their lives. Protections for children born alive wouldn’t be possible if abortions happened on a pack of straw at the rear of a barn and were practiced with a coathanger. In my opinion it is for everyone to decide in their own conscience when life begins. My own conviction is that life begins once it is possible for the foetus to be viable ex utero. I don’t believe we should be legislating potentials, which are a matter of personnal beliefs, but certitudes, which are a matter of law. The current certitude is that life ex utero is possible from around 20 to 22 weeks. That happens to be in line with the Supreme Court’s rullings in Roe v. Wade and its commanding precedent Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

When I say our nation needs to move forward, I’m also refering to this constant debate on abortion some like to stoke every so often in this country in an effort not to talk about the other issues Americans face in their daily life. One thing I can pledge to you is that a Wonder Administration will put all its efforts into addressing economic issues, into bringing about tax reform, into tackling Climate Change, not into proposing bills that are not, in my opinion, an issue for the Federal government to act upon.

(S) Thank you. Final question, What is your stance on the 2nd Amendment?

(C) I’m pretty sure my stand on the 2nd Amendment is written black on white and word for word in the 2nd Amendment. I believe the current status quo on gun rights following several reforms passed by Congress is proper and balanced, in line with the 2nd Amendment as proven repeatedly by the Supreme Court, and shouldn’t be revised easily. It’s as easy as that. That’s a position I, for one, won’t change, as I believe it is essential that people know what I stand for and don’t expect me to change position halfway through a term as others might. Vice-President Wonder and I intend to put forward concrete policies on key issues that actually need addressing, to move our country forward through reform and transpartisan debates, to respect an effective separation of powers, to engage in intelligent lawmaking as illustrated by our respective careers in government, and to keep bringing moral leadership and consistency to the highest office in the land and the Vice-Presidency.

(S) Thank you very much for participating in this Interview Secretary Carton. Good luck on your race!

(C) Thank you for reaching out! I look forward to reading your coverage of that campaign!