I am Rob Zerban, challenger to Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) in 2012. AMA

Rob responded

1. What are/were your thoughts on Occupy Wall Street?

1) I think its indicative of the public's frustration with Congress and the system that finances our elections. Like every movement, there are many ideas but here is what I think politicians should learn- people are tired of moneyed interests getting in the way of the right ideas.

2. Where do you stand on the war on drugs? Do you think it has been successful?

2) I believe in as much personal freedom as possible. I have seen the great harm "hard" drugs can do to communities. I believe there is a way to decriminalize marijuana to both increase revenues and to make sure we can shift away from jailing some nonviolent offenders. My belief is that reevaluating some of these policies can help police focus on more important priorities.

3. What are your thoughts on gun control?

3) Americans have a complicated history with gun control. Clearly there needs to be protections in place to prevent criminal elements from obtaining lethal weapons. But we must also must protect the right of ordinary citizens to own guns, per our Constitution. I shoot skeet and trap occasionally.

1) I think its indicative of the public's frustration with Congress and the system that finances our elections. Like every movement, there are many ideas but here is what I think politicians should learn- people are tired of moneyed interests getting in the way of the right ideas.

2) I believe in as much personal freedom as possible. I have seen the great harm "hard" drugs can do to communities. I believe there is a way to decriminalize marijuana to both increase revenues and to make sure we can shift away from jailing some nonviolent offenders. My belief is that reevaluating some of these policies can help police focus on more important priorities.

3) Americans have a complicated history with gun control. Clearly there needs to be protections in place to prevent criminal elements from obtaining lethal weapons. But we must also must protect the right of ordinary citizens to own guns, per our Constitution. I shoot skeet and trap occasionally.

EDIT: Updated to add answers + more answers inline

What is your gameplan for beating Ryan?

If you don't know, reddit is a pretty large community. If you use this site correctly there are some good resources at your disposal if you can generate some interest. I would encourage you to become an active redditor and involve the community in your campaign if you can.

Some practical questions:

1) How much staff do you have - how does this compare with Ryan's staff? What are the biggest challenges you face in getting noticed? FYI Reddit is a great marketing tool if used properly. As an example this little campaign has been posted on Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/12/28/reddit-users-to-target-supporters-of-sopa-in-congress-after-successful-boycott-of-godaddy/ posted today. If you can get some momentum going on here there's a good chance you can get some media attention through it.

I currently have 5 full time campaign staffers in addition to many great volunteers. I'm not sure what Ryan's staff looks like, but with his campaign, his personal PAC and his Congressional staff, it's safe to assume he has more people working for him. I'll be expanded my team soon in addition to opening offices all over Wisconsin's 1st District.

2) What are the most important non-monetary contributions Redditors can make to your campaign?

Help promote the movement - here on reddit, blogs, Twitter, etc. Right now we are working to build my name recognition and getting the word out is important to building name ID. Later in the campaign redditors will be able to volunteer for my campaign from anywhere in the world. You can sign up to volunteer on my website: www.RobZerban.com

3) Not a question, more of a request - can you please try and keep the 'Paul Ryan is a bad person' rhetoric to a minimum? For example your twitter feed: "Is #PaulRyan the far-right scam artist of the year? Many in Wisconsin think so ". I find that kind of statement really distasteful and useless. Ryan has shitty IDEAS. Attack the ideas, not the person. If you can't articulate why raising taxes is necessary and have to go after Ryan's personality I think you have lost. Just my humble opinion. I look at Alan Grayson as a pretty good example of this. The clips which went viral are ones where he doesn't call out individual republicans, he calls out their ideas. He does it forcefully but it's not character attacks per say. Here's sort of what I'm talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZgZeAOaq4U. He uses facts and figures to show why he's right. He didn't call the republicans jerks and yet got a standing ovation. I believe he then later got in trouble for the personal attack politics. Americans and redditors in particular are hungry for someone who will call out the Republican BS with facts - not character attacks. The 'Republicans are slimy' mantra just doesn't do it for me...the 'CEOs now make 300x worker pay vs 30x in the 70s' argument does.

4) What is your schedule like - what are the major dates in your campaign and which dates should reddit be aware of if they want to get involved/help you out - fundraising deadlines, debates, etc.

My schedule is pretty hectic. Our political process is broken and unfortunately I must spend a lot of my time making calls and asking people for money. I'd much rather be out meeting with people and formulating good policies. I have a big fundraising deadline coming up at the end of the month. I need to have the strongest financial statement possible to prove my campaign's viability. If you are in the position to contribute I would sincerely appreciate it. I don't know if Ryan will accept an invitation to debate. We'll see.

Policy questions:

1) Did you support the operation in Libya? What was your position on Iraq?

Given the circumstances, I think President Obama made the best decision he could with regards to Libya. It's important to keep in mind we don't always have the same information the President does. Overall, it's unfortunate we had to take such actions to rectify the mistakes we have made in Libya over the last ~30 years.

2) Do you support increasing taxes? Why or why not? Maybe this is a tough question but I feel democrats need to address this and stop dancing around the issue

Yes, I support raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans and making corporations pay their fair share.

3) How do you think SS and Medicare should be kept solvent?

Social Security is currently solvent. We need to stop borrowing money from the trust fund to give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. Additionally, we can remove the caps on contributions. Medicare can be strengthened by expanding the system to cover everyone.

4) Do you support Obamacare? Anything in it you'd modify?

I believe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was a good first step by did not go far enough. I was disappointed the public option was not included.

5) Is waterboarding torture? Do you support enhanced interrogation?

Yes it is torture. No, I do not.

6) What is your stance on Afghanistan? Should the US keep a presence there? Iraq?

We need to get out.

7) Should marijuana be decriminalized?

Yes.

8) Have democrats of the last 10 years been insufferably feeble? Agree or disagree. :)

I see what you did there ಠ_ಠ . I believe each individual should be judged on their own record.

9) Do you have cats? Do you have pictures of cats? Those usually go over well here.

Sorry, no cats. I do have two dogs: Barley & Hops

1) I currently have 5 full time campaign staffers in addition to many great volunteers. I'm not sure what Ryan's staff looks like, but with his campaign, his personal PAC and his Congressional staff, it's safe to assume he has more people working for him. I'll be expanded my team soon in addition to opening offices all over Wisconsin's 1st District.

2) Help promote the movement - here on reddit, blogs, Twitter, etc. Right now we are working to build my name recognition and getting the word out is important to building name ID. Later in the campaign redditors will be able to volunteer for my campaign from anywhere in the world. You can sign up to volunteer on my website: www.RobZerban.com

3) Social Security is currently solvent. We need to stop borrowing money from the trust fund to give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations. Additionally, we can remove the caps on contributions. Medicare can be strengthened by expanding the system to cover everyone.

4) I believe the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was a good first step by did not go far enough. I was disappointed the public option was not included.

5) Yes it is torture. No, I do not.

6) We need to get out.

7) Yes.

8) I see what you did there ಠ_ಠ . I believe each individual should be judged on their own record.

9) Sorry, no cats. I do have two dogs: Barley & Hops

Whoops - Rick Perry moment, looks like a missed a few.

My schedule is pretty hectic. Our political process is broken and unfortunately I must spend a lot of my time making calls and asking people for money. I'd much rather be out meeting with people and formulating good policies.

I have a big fundraising deadline coming up at the end of the month. I need to have the strongest financial statement possible to prove my campaign's viability. If you are in the position to contribute I would sincerely appreciate it.

I don't know if Ryan will accept an invitation to debate. We'll see.

Given the circumstances, I think President Obama made the best decision he could with regards to Libya. It's important to keep in mind we don't always have the same information the President does. Overall, it's unfortunate we had to take such actions to rectify the mistakes we have made in Libya over the last ~30 years.

Yes, I support raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans and making corporations pay their fair share.

If he responds to all of these in a thorough manner, I will applaud...

Start clapping. ;)

I'm just happy if I get a cat picture.

You're easy to please

I thought this might be more appropriate.

Upvote for you!

I see you're a Culinary School of America grad. What's your favorite thing to cook?

My favorite thing to cook is not so much a single dish, but more of a style: Simple dishes done well. Such as an oven roasted herb chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and glazed carrots.

Damn, this is what I like to see, politicians that aren't afraid of the public and aren't scumbags. Right on, Rob Zerban.

Thanks for the support!

Where on your web page do you talk about the issues? Like our foreign policy, monetary policy, drug war, etc.

This is my first run and I am working on building out the campaign. That is why next month, I am bringing on some new staff that will help add more to the website. I work to communicate on Facebook, Twitter, email, and now Reddit to answer questions as well as, of course, person to person. I should have more up soon and you can always ask me by going to robzerban.com and clicking on contact me.

So can you state a few of your positions on these for us now?

Here are some core issues for me: Ending the money in politics by supporting the Move to Amend, publicly financed elections, and any other vehicle to end the corrupting influence of money. Enhancing health care reform with a public option or Medicare for all. Job creation by investing in infrastructure and any other programs to employ the unemployed, and ending free trade deals and replacing them with fair trade deals that will protect manufacturing jobs in the district. Investing in education and research to create innovation for the future. Shifting our tax code to benefit small and medium-size businesses, not large corporations with large lobbying firms. Enhancing financial reform and protecting consumers. Finally, protecting Social Security and Medicare from Republican attempts at privatization.

I think any and all of these ideas would help Wisconsin and this district, but my focus in the campaign will be on the more generally popular issues including manufacturing jobs and economic recovery, Paul Ryan's corrupt funding sources, stopping the wasteful tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, and the need to defend seniors programs. These are the issues I think the electorate will be most responsive to.

Are you willing to be negotiated with? One of the biggest problems with our current set of legislators is that they are all idealogues. We need to know where politicians stand on issues, but we also need to know that they will not be obstructionists. We would like to create a movement of moderates to support you, and a truthful answer to this question is important.

What issues are you willing to negotiate on? What will you never give ground on, no matter what? Are you prepared for us to hold you to those? I'm not looking for an exhaustive list, but your top picks would be helpful.

Absolutely I'm willing to negotiate - that is a part of the process.

I disagree with obstructionist tactics that threaten to shut down the government when you don't get your way.

That said, when it comes to making sure every single person has their rights and an opportunity to achieve a great life, that is not worth negotiating away.

I've noticed that Ryan voted up the NDAA bill. How does your view differ from his? Also, how do you interpret the NDAA bill?

What would be the most effective thing Reddit could do - as a community - to benefit your campaign? (Bearing in mind that this information, hopefully, won't be used solely for your campaign, assuming the whole political influence idea gains merit)

The payroll tax debate last week. How would you have handled it differently?

Is it actually Rob Zerban answering these, or a member of his campaign team?

I've seen a couple of questions regarding SOPA, so I'll leave that be.

I believe we must be aggressive in fighting terrorism, but not give away our fundamental rights as Americans in the process. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes some troubling provisions that would allow the military to pick up and/or imprison any Americans deemed threatening without a trial. The legal process isn't perfect, but it exists so everyone gets their day in court to defend themselves.

So it's clear that you'd have voted in favor of the amendment to strip those provisions from the NDAA - an amendment which sadly did not pass in either house. However, if the final NDAA conference bill came up for a vote with that provision intact - which it did - and your choice were up or down on the whole thing ... how would you vote?

This question demands an answer because it strikes to a fundamental question that I want to know: How much is the 6th Amendment worth to Rob Zerban?

I would not vote for any bill that would compromise your civil rights.

I just donated $10. I hope other redditors with the means will similarly show their gratitude.

Thanks!

Thank You!

$10 from me as well. If I like this guy's answers, more to come. Donate Link

Thanks!

Also, when this AMA is over / off the front page, could you let us know the total contributions from tonight? I'd love to see the power of Reddit in hard numbers like that.

I'll ask my finance staff to add it up and let you know.

Edit: He answered. Thanks Rob, sorry for the formatting issues.

1) Do you support Gay Marriage? Would you support a bill that made it possible for same sex/trans couples to get married and share the same rights as hetero couples?

Yes.

2) Do you support adoption by two Gay Parents?

Yes.

3) Do you view this nation as a Christian Nation? Do you think churches should continue enjoying tax exempt status when they clearly use their money to influence state issues.

I believe the separation of church and state to be absolute.

4) What is your stance on abortion and publicly funded agencies such as Planned Parenthood?

I am pro-choice.

5) If you could only drink one brand/type of liquor for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I'm not much of a liquor drinker, I do however enjoy a good beer. I recommend Spotted Cow.

1) Yes. 2) Yes. 3) I believe the separation of church and state to be absolute.
4) I am pro-choice. 5) I'm not much of a liquor drinker, I do however enjoy a good beer. I recommend Spotted Cow.

Edit: Whoops. The formatting confused me there.

What is your stance on Citizens United v Federal Election Commission? Would you stand behind an amendment on the federal level to overturn the decision of the majority in that case(the so called "corporate person-hood amendment")? Why or why not?

YES!

Money is not speech and corporations are not people.

We need to get the money out of the political process. That is why I support publicly funded elections.

What are your thoughts on reddit targeting members of congress whose politics they disagree with?

The political process has been shifted towards those with the money to communicate on television, and to get the support of the political establishment. That is why I am such a fan of the free internet. The internet is democracy in action- it lets each individual have a voice. I think users of reddit should raise their voices and votes until Congress listens, changes, and acts.

Who has been your single biggest inspiration?

My mom. She raised me as a single parent and worked extremely hard to do the best she could and has always shown me unconditional love.

Politically, one person I look up to is Sen. Russ Feingold. He was willing to be a lone vote against the Patriot Act. I think someone should have the guts to stand for their values if they hold office.

Wow, that was fast. I had a few questions over here.

Swgolde asked

1) Can you explain your stance on bills like SOPA?

2) What are your top three political priorities, if elected?

3) What experience can you bring to Congress?

4) Why are you better than Paul Ryan?

5) What is your stance on decriminalization and/or legalization of marijuana, either on a state or national level?

For the lazy.

Edit: swgolde since your top comment you should prob put your questions in it and I will delete my post to make things cleaner.

As a child I ate government cheese at home and free lunches at school. I was able to attend the Culinary Institute of America with the help of Pell Grants and Stafford Loans.

Because my government made an investment in me I was able to go on to start two small businesses where I provided living wages and benefits to 45 employees.

The types of programs that helped me achieve success are the very same programs many Republicans now want to eliminate. They claim they don't work, but I am living proof these programs can and do work.

SOPA is a complex issue but here is how I approach it- the first thing to remember is that our free speech is our most fundamental right as Americans and this is critical to our society and economy. It is also critical to innovation and this process of free speech, which we are doing right now on reddit, is what enables us to share and develop the ideas that impact the world.

We need to preserve the free nature of the internet. I believe that more and more people are going to pay for content they enjoy to be able to use on many devices and in different formats, and the benefit to a company of brand growth, new fans, and advertising, can be a great benefit. Companies need to start thinking outside of the box and leveraging the exposure to greater benefit.

There are many online companies that oppose SOPA including Google, Facebook, Twitter, Zynga, eBay, Mozilla, Yahoo, AOL, and LinkedIn. These companies wrote a letter to key members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, saying SOPA poses "a serious risk to our industry's continued track record of innovation and job creation, as well as to our nation's cybersecurity." I think where it goes too far is that it allows unilateral measures to revoke IP addresses or domain names. In short, I recognize the need for content providers to be able to profit and benefit from their work but there needs to be a middle ground approach to this issue.

I (and hopefully others) asked him for an AMA when his name came up at /r/GrahamCracker to know his stances on SOPA/NDAA/DADT/etc.... and drive him to the front page about an hour after his name first came up.

My question is unrelated to his stances on recent events, others will take care of that - I would like to know:

• What does Mr. Zerban reads on a daily (or semi daily basis)?

• What book has impacted most the way Mr. Zerban sees the world?

I try to read my hometown paper, Kenosha News, everyday. I also read the New York Times and keep up with world events reading many blogs.

Two questions:

1. As many of us are outside WI, if the hive-mind* decides you to be an acceptable candidate how could we show our support?
2. What would you say to people who feel that our government is corrupt by big businesses and/or alterior motives?

Edit: By request, Hive-mind defined: Groupthink, the Collective Conscious. Reddit is a brain working at a higher level than the individuals that inhabit it. Approval from the hive-mind often results that you will at times receive excessive publicity in a positive light. (Definition partly taken from /r/hivemind, if someone has a better definition leave it in a reply and I will update this)

I agree with millions of people who are disgusted by this political system and many of the career politicians in it. That's why I am running.

Paul Ryan is being promoted by special interests to enrich themselves while harming millions of ordinary Americans. It will take everyone, together, to be able to fight back. I very much need the help of the entire online community.

I hope everyone will go to www.robzerban.com, you can contribute, and that goes a long way, and you can also sign up to volunteer. Later on in the campaign, people from across the country can help. You can join the conversation with me on Facebook and Twitter. The website www.robzerban.com is really the hub of all this activity.

Suggestion: change the wording to something other than "hive-mind" since he may or may not know what you're asking when reading this.

I know what hive-mind means. ;)

Note: don't be fooled by the request for cat pictures. It would go over well here, but the legislature (and mainstream media) at large would see it as pandering and make fun of you if you don't do it right.

Therefore, keep it classy, professional, and interesting. A picture of you playing frisbee with your kids and dog would go over well.

I do have two dogs, however most frisbees would crush them.

My dogs: Hops and Barely

[deleted]

No.

What would you say to people that are fed up with American style democracy and feel that voting isn't worth the time?

Look. I feel your frustration with this government but that IS EXACTLY WHY we need to get active. We all need to communicate online and with signs and bumper stickers and anything else we can. The special interests have superior money but real progress comes from us working together as individuals.

Voting makes a huge difference! Look at the elections in 2000 where Bush won Florida by such a small margin. Let's also take the Minnesota Senate elections where Al Franken won by a small margin. You never know until it's too late and that is why it is our duty and privilege to participate in democracy.

Based on the picture of you and your wife, I look like I could be your daughter if I weren't a bit too old. It's a bit uncanny.

Physical similarities aside, I have to ask you this: Do you think I deserve same civil rights afforded to you? I am a lesbian and many people in office do not think I merit the same rights they have.

To answer your question: Yes.

Are you associated with any PACs? If so, which ones and why are they interested in you?

I am supported by Senator Russ Feingold's PAC Progressives United as well as members of Congress. I am also supported by the Council for a Liveable World which works to reduce nuclear weapons across the globe. Finally, many labor organizations support me since my focus is to rebuild the middle class.

would you take money from goldman sachs or the entertainment industry?

I think if any individual looks at my ideas and wants to help, I am grateful for their help. That said, lobbyists and special interests are firmly in Paul Ryan's corner and I don't expect them to change their minds anytime soon!

What problems do you see going on in congress right now? What will you do about them? How do you plan to represent the american people? And are you going to be a leader this country needs or just another spokesperson?

We have a three major problems in Congress:

1. Way too much money! We need to get rid of Citizens United and elect people based on ideas, not bank accounts.

2. Redistricting. The ways the lines are drawn do not make sense. Instead of uniting communities and creating representation, they are designed to entrench incumbents. This does not produce good results.

3. Term limits. I believe politics should not be a career, but a period of service. I think having term limits would change the way people approach their time in Congress.

I'll be voting in your district next fall. I voted for Paul Ryan in 2010 because his opponent was absolutely inept (in hindsight, I should have just not voted for the House seat, but I digress).

What are your views on high speed rail? Do you think it's a viable option for the area? Would you vote to invest money in infrastructure?

I do support high speed rail. Unfortunately, Gov. Walker dismantled the Region Transit Authority and declined hundreds of millions of dollars that would have put people in Wisconsin back to work while improving our infrastructure and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.

As a fellow Wisconsinite, it's good to see a politician against SOPA. My question is since Wisconsin is a hub for medical research, would you favor Stem Cell Research to help the sick and our state's economy? Thanks!

Yes. I favor stem cell research. The investments we make in science will pay off in big ways down the road in terms of healthier lives for people and new innovations. We have always been a nation that has led the world in science because we stay open-minded to the possibilities.

What interesting scandals can we expect from you?

P.s., I wish you good luck. Paul Ryan scares me.

As far as reddit is concerned, the biggest scandal out there is that I'm allergic to cats. But I'm hoping to keep that on the DL.

Are union labor disputes still happening in your state? What changes are you trying to make?

Petitions are still circulating to recall Gov. Scott Walker. The necessary signatures have been collected to recall Walker, but petitions are still circulating for the recall of the Lt. Governor and several Republican State Senators.

There will be a special election sometime next spring/summer.

Does your signature appear?

Yes.

What do you think of Ayn Rand?

I don't.

Taking down one outspoken republican wont end the constant attack on the 99%. If you were to win and become a freshman congressman, you'd still need years to develop true power within the congress. Assuming you were to win, what current members of congress do you support and what types of legislation can we see from you during your first term?

• I appreciate and respect your time, thank you for spending some of it with us.

This is where I think differently. I believe that beating Paul Ryan will make a huge difference in the movement to improve the lives of 99% of our citizens. Paul Ryan is not just another Republican - he is the architect of the tea party budget. By rejecting him, we can make a real statement about our values as a nation and help lead Congress in a different and better direction.

What is the responsibility of the state when it comes to providing security for its citizens? What does "security" mean to you? Would "security" include employment, food, shelter, etc?

I think the way the question is phrased is not how I approach this. I don't think we owe this to the state. The question is what kind of people we want to be and what we want our government to reflect about us. The question is whether we want to be a nation of selfish people that let problems go unanswered, (such as financial regulation, environmental protection, education, our infrastructure, etc), or whether we all work together to make our lives better. It is not a duty but a choice to cooperate to improve our country.

Hi, thanks for doing this. My question is-

Where do you draw the line between what is and isn't negotiable? What are your hard-line stances?

The problem I see is that too many politicians know what is right, but they back down when they are confronted by money and special interests. I am ready to make the tough choices to stand with the people, even if that means taking the consequences.

Pretty simple question, and actually not an entirely political one, either. But here it goes, anyway.

You seem to be one of (if not the) first politician to publicly announce him or herself as a member of any internet community. So why is it that you decided to join us here, and how involved in the various internet communities, activities and websites are you (i.e. Reddit, playing video games, etc.)

Thank you for any response I get. Also, I've read up, both on this AmA and on your website about the things you're doing politically, and I honestly think that you are a far more capable and intelligent person and candidate than the majority of today's politicians. I may not agree with everything you say (and I do agree with a lot of it), but you know what you're talking about and you know how to defend it. Therefore, I hope that you keep this dedication to your beliefs all the way to Congress.

It was actually some of your fellow redditors that contacted me earlier today and asked me to participate in this AMA.

Thank you for your support and kind words.