Rashad Dwayne Lloyd

Rashad Lloyd was born in Washington D.C. Lloyd’s career experience includes working retail and management.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Rashad Lloyd, I am a simple man with a simple goal to bring a functioning Liquid Democracy to life in the 5th District of Maryland. Right now we are doing our best to make do with 19th century institutions executed with 15th century technology while living in the 21st century. It's time for an upgrade!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I aim to put voting power directly in the hands of the people by instituting a Liquid Democracy. A liquid democracy is a hybrid between a direct democracy where everyone votes on every issue and, a representative democracy where we elect representatives to vote for us. With a liquid democracy at any point in time you may take back your legislative authority and vote on issues directly. It is the best of both worlds and it will ensure that your individual voice will always be heard.Money does not belong in politics, the only reason money is a part of politics is to keep the poorest of us excluded from the conversation. That's why I have made a commitment to take no money from anyone at all. Money doesn't belong in politics, people do.We need a form of Universal services to best provide for our citizens. Universal basic income will ensure that capitalism doesn't start at $0 and, Universal healthcare will ensure that not a single citizen of the richest country on earth dies because they can't afford to live.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Universal basic income, Medicare for all, Criminal justice reform, Economic crime reform and, Education reform.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Political philosophy in my opinion is built off of personal experiences and the shared experiences of those around you so no.

That being said some of my favorite books from philosophers are the meditations of Marcus Aurelius, and The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli along with the Art of War also written by Machiavelli.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

An elected official must remember at all times their humanity, too many of our politicians are playing the game. Trying to be the smartest, flawless shining diamond that they forget we are all flawed. They lie to keep up with the idea of perfection while forgetting that we the people are flawed ourselves. You must always be a representation of people and the best way to do that is to be yourself 100% with no illusions at all times. Act like a human and you can never go wrong.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I believe in servant leadership, simply put the best way to lead a team is by serving the needs of those individuals that make up the team before serving my own needs. If those you serve are well taken care of you will be taken care of in kind.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Executing the will of the people first and foremost.

Secondly a representative has a responsibility to be open and available to their constituents. Even if it's something simple like leaving your DM's on Twitter open your constituents should always be able to get in touch with you when THEY feel they need you. You have a responsibility to hold the government accountable for treating your people well and making sure their needs not your own are tended to.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was in retail. I started working at Safeway in 2009 I needed a work credit to graduate from high school, after I left high school I kept working at Safeway and I moved my way up the ladder from cashier learning new things and taking on new challenges until I finally became the youngest Store Director in the Eastern Division at 23 years old. I kept working at Safeway until 2015 I spent 6 years working for that company.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Fullmetal Alchemist, not only is it one of the best written manga that I've ever laid hands on, it's got great world building , a broad cast of well fleshed out characters and it's got some interesting takes on humanity. I own the entire 27 volume box set and I like to read it every year or two to relieve the magic.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Victor Von Doom(Dr. Doom) Look the man may be a villain but that aside he's also insanely smart, a master of science, technology and magic. In one comic line he ended up getting flung like 65 millions years into the past and he got back to the present the old fashioned way, he waited. I aspire to have that much patience in life.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Veil by Keina Suda. It was used as the ending credit song for Fire Force(great anime btw) I hated listening to it right up until I fell it love with it. What can I say, it be like that sometimes ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Fun fact: I've actually been listening to it on repeat the entire time I've been filling out my profile.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

There aren't many institutions that I've seen that are dominated solely by two major political parties with zero third parties having any seat at the table. The House of Representatives doesn't live up to it's name, there are many people who don't fit into the traditional Democrat or Republican ideologies and we aren't properly representing them at this time. The House needs diversity if we are ever truly going to move this country forward.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No, I actually believe the exact opposite. It's going to take an influx of non politicians to fix the issues of the current and future generations. We need fresh untainted perspectives to deal with age old problems and new dangerous global issues that are on the horizon.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The greatest challenges the United States are going to face over the next decade will be climate change, the 4th industrial revolution and, the fight for Universal healthcare.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Yes, I have an interest in the intelligence committee from my perspective the Intel committee is one of the most important committees in the House and, both the Republicans and Democrats have used this critical committee for partisan attacks in the recent past. Enough is enough we need to break the cycle and make sure that this committee has leadership that is only interested in serving the will of the people not, the will of the current majority party.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

In a system without term limits yes, two years in an acceptable term length for representatives.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Term limits are a necessity, right now we have career politicians who are spending a lifetime in Congress. No matter what you may think about your representative the longer one individual holds an office the more they are suppressing the ability of the following generation to make decisions, bring in fresh ideas and make progress. All members of Congress should be held to term limits and, that should also extend to the Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

No

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

No

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

One of my youngest supporters is still in high school they're only 16 a minor so I'm going to exclude names and pronouns. This person told me they have seen the trajectory of their life and realized that if they don't start getting politically involved now their life will be over before it even has a chance to begin. They see their dreams crushed by the exorbitant cost of higher education, they see their needs not being met because teachers and administrators have no interest in listening to what they need only directing and instructing based on what they as adults believe children need. They see their voices being silenced before they've even had a chance to properly develop and, they realize that it's only going to get worse moving forward. That's why the system of a liquid democracy resonated so strongly with them, they're not asking for much just a fighting change to be heard for one in their lives and that story shows that we have already failed the next generation. No child should think that their life is over before they even leave high school.

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