Atlas Forum Primaries 2016, Part 2

[Wells]

Incumbent President Dave Leip had a successful presidency as an Independent, but now he's stepping down, leaving another Atlas poster to run the country. God help us. Anyway from LLR's thread (which he couldn't bother to continue).

How This Works

First, you pick a character by submitting some basic information (this is an example):

Name: Lisa Rockowitz
Age: 43
Party: Democrat
Location: New York, NY
Position: New York State Assemblywoman 2003-11, US Representative 2011-p. (make it realistic - R victories in NY, CA, HI and D victories in AL, UT, and TN and others will be frowned upon)
Ideology (in Political Matrix score): S: -6.66 E: -6.66


Then, we run the campaign. "But, LLR, how does that work?" You ask.

First, after both parties get a certain amount of candidates (6, 8, or 10 depending on interest), various Atlasians can chip in endorsements, which will be based on post count.

1 point: 50-500
2 points: 500-1000
3 points: 1000-5000
4 points: 5000-10000
5 points: 10000-30000
6 points: 30000+

Based on those points, you can receive tokens, which will be spent on campaigning. I'll get into more details on that after we start, but you get more tokens based on how you perform, and you, of course, accumulate delegates as well.

Sign up below, please!

New: These are the extra rules.

[Wells]

List of Candidates

Republicans
NeverAgain - Gov. Samuel Fogle O'Houlihan (MI), 13 points
Abraham Washington - Gov. Abraham R. Washington (NY), 0 points
Zombie Spenstar - Sen. Ethan Berkowitz (ME), 0 points
Yankee Mapper - Sen. Daniel Conway (NC), 0 points
Leinad - Fr. James N. Wilkinson (RI), 4 points
Ted Bessell - Sen. Laura Rummel (WI), 17 points
Chairman Sanchez - Sen. Harry Auldman (FL), 0 points
Haslam - Rep. Nick Walsh (TN), 0 points

Democrats
LongLiveRock - Rep. Lisa Rockowitz (NY), 0 points
Peebs - Gov. Emily Peebleton (NC), 10 points
Southern Gothic - Gov. Jefferson A. Galloway (MS), 11 points
wolfentoad - Sen. James Gillot (ME), 0 points
Dr Novella - Gov. Tsumiki Harmon (CA), 2 points
GoTfan - Sen. Brandon Korner (WI), 1 point
Bosse - Sen. Susan Park (VA), 0 points
Intell - Sen. Bobby Jones (WV), 20 points

Independents
diptheriadan - Gov. Antonio "Tony" Jasso (CO), 0 points

Also, third parties and Independents can run if they want to.

[Wells]

This post is reserved for the most recent polls. I have a specific formula for this, but tokens and stuff can and will change the result. I will gradually shift from the formula to tokens and how they were spent as the primaries get closer.

National Democratic Primary
Brandon Korner 17%
Tsumiki Harmon 14%
James Gillot 13%
Emily Peebleton 12%
Susan Park 12%
Lisa Rockowitz 8%
Jefferson Galloway 7%
Bobby Jones 5%

National Republican Primary
Daniel Conway 26%
Samuel O’Houlihan 18%
Laura Rummel 18%
Ethan Berkowitz 16%
Abraham Washington 12%

Iowa Democratic Caucus
Brandon Korner 21%
James Gillot 14%
Jefferson Galloway 11%
Susan Park 11%
Emily Peebleton 10%
Bobby Jones 10%
Tsumiki Harmon 6%
Lisa Rockowitz 0%

Iowa Republican Caucus
Daniel Conway 24%
Samuel O'Houlihan 15%
Ethan Berkowitz 15%
Laura Rummel 15%
Abraham Washington 8%

New Hampshire Democratic Primary
James Gillot 14%
Susan Park 14%
Brandon Korner 13%
Emily Peebleton 12%
Bobby Jones 11%
Jefferson Galloway 8%
Lisa Rockowitz 5%
Tsumiki Harmon 0%

New Hampshire Republican Primary
Ethan Berkowitz 24%
Daniel Conway 19%
Samuel O'Houlihan 17%
Abraham Washington 15%
Laura Rummel 12%

Note: Polls at this point are just based on what I think name recognition would be (according to the formula). And please do join this. Just because polls are out doesn't mean you can't.

[Wells]

We need more Republicans! If you really want to be a Democrat, then sure you can, but Republicans are needed. We only have two right now.

Extra: I would prefer that others wait to endorse until I start the first turn the day after Christmas.

[Wells]

I've changed my mind: you can endorse candidates right now, but just remember that there are a few who may have yet to announce before December 26.

[Wells]

If you have something to say, please wait until turns start.

[Wells]

Endorsements are now more than allowed, they are encouraged. I will distribute points, start the first turn, and post the rules tomorrow.

[Wells]

I'll be starting the game once we get a few more endorsements.

[Wells]

The first turn will officially start one this series of posts is done. First, the complete rules:

So we’ve made it to the first turn. Turns will last 72 hours (way longer than they should). Now what? Well, each turn, your points, poll numbers, and delegate standings will be turned into tokens (you won’t lose delegates, points, or your standing in the polls that way). And this is where things get fun. You can use your tokens to do pretty much whatever you want. Here is one example:

What turns look like

June 1789 Turn

Fundraising - 5 Tokens
Campaign Stops in Paris - 1 Token
Speech Excerpt: “Down with the monarchy! Liberty, equality, fraternity!”
Airing This Advertisement Nationwide - 3 Tokens
“Marie Antoinette would like you to believe that she cares about you while constructing cities where she can appropriate peasants and get three meals every day. But does she really understand the peasant’s struggle? Just last week she said ‘Let them eat cake’ when faced with the struggle of the people. Will you stand for this or stand for change?”
Appearing on The Late Show - 1 Token
Insert Interview excerpt here
Something Creative - 5 Tokens
Campaign Stops in Nice - 1 Token
Angry Tweets - 1 Token
“@RandomPolitician said this thing! Not good! Very wrong! Sad!”

Total Spent - 22 Tokens
Current Balance - 8 Tokens

As you can see, you can save tokens for later and fundraise (which will get you more tokens). A few rules before some people go crazy. DISCLAIMER: I and only I have the power to waive, enforce, and create new rules.

Token prices - I will set most token prices in this post. If you come up with something new, PM me first and I will tell you the token price and add it to the rules.

Fundraising - You want more tokens? Then fundraising will give you more for your next turn, but don’t get greedy. The more tokens you spend on fundraising, the likelier it is that it will flop (i.e. you get nothing). If you spend all your coins fundraising, then it’s guaranteed.

Creativity - Creativity is nice, but keep it within reason. Nothing too ridiculous.

News stories - At the beginning of every turn, there will be a news dump in which a certain amount of stories, be it global news, local news, economic news, candidate scandals, etc, will be released and you can react to them in your turn (if it’s a press release 0 tokens and if it’s a speech 1 token). Most news stories will be based on what really happened in 2015/2016, but candidate scandals will be chosen randomly (for the most part, see Corruption) and can strike at any time. If you do get a scandal (I will detail what it is), then you have to respond in the next turn (and spend tokens on it) or else I will force you out of the race. Positive stories will also occur. A response is optional.

Debates - Debates will be at the end of most turns (unless I say otherwise) and will ask questions (an amount I choose) about random issues and news events. You must answer all the questions and you may directly respond to one answer that one of your opponents from the same party made (you may reference other statements in your debate answers). You can spend tokens on debate prep, and at the end of the debate I will decide who the winner and loser is. The winner gets a temporary boost and the loser gets a temporary dip in the polls. Debates will last 24 hours.

Missing a turn - If you miss a turn, then you will have to work harder to make it up. Though you won’t be over with yet.

Joining late - In this universe we pretend ballot deadlines don’t exist. However, you will suffer extreme penalties if you join the primaries after Iowa, or the GE after the first debate. And smaller ones if you join before then.

Things you can do

Tweets - These cost one token each.

PMing me - if you have any business you want to accomplish, then send it to me in one PM. I don’t want my inbox to become too full.

Super PACs - You may have Super PACs (though other candidates’ attacks may turn this into a liability). There are a few rules for Super PACs that must be followed: they have to be run by another player and other posters must fund them. Every poster has 100 tokens that they may donate to any Super PAC (or other political groups) that the PAC may spend on anything.

Endorsements - Atlas posters can and should endorse, but RL politicians and groups can also endorse. If you want endorsements then PM me and I’ll give them to you as long as no one else has asked for it and I think it’s 100% realistic.

Corruption - PM me if you want to engage in voter fraud, voter intimidation, bribing of DNC/RNC officials, or other things that conservatives think Hillary Clinton does daily. Just realize that there is an increased risk that you will appear in the news dump as the candidate with the latest scandal.

State Visits - You may visit any state you wish, but different states cost different amounts of tokens.


1
   Alaska; Delaware; District of Columbia; Hawaii; Idaho; Maine; Montana; New Hampshire; North Dakota; Rhode Island; South Dakota; Vermont; Wyoming

2
   Arkansas; Kansas; Mississippi; Nebraska; Nevada; New Mexico; Utah; West Virginia

3
   Connecticut; Iowa; Kentucky; Oklahoma; Oregon; South Carolina

4
   Alabama; Arizona; Colorado; Louisiana; Maryland; Minnesota; Wisconsin

5
   Indiana; Massachusetts; Missouri; Tennessee; Washington

6
   Georgia; Michigan; New Jersey; North Carolina; Virginia

7
   Florida; Illinois; Ohio; Pennsylvania

8
   New York

9
   Texas

10
   California

As you can see the early states cost three (Iowa and South Carolina), one (New Hampshire), or two (Nevada) tokens.

Advertisements - Both positive and negative ads will be accepted. They have differing effects. Positive ads cost 2 tokens each, negative ads cost 3 tokens each.

Barnstorming costs 10 tokens but improves your poll numbers by quite a bit. Doing internal polls costs 1 token and must be requested of me or your Super PAC via PM. You may chose to leak the internal poll in the post for your turn.

[Wells]

Now it's time to allocate tokens. Tokens will be allocated based on poll numbers and endorsement points. You get more tokens every turn.

Samuel O'Houlihan - 40 tokens
Abraham Washington - 30 tokens
Ethan Berkowitz - 40 tokens
Daniel Conway - 50 tokens
James Wilkinson - 20 tokens
Laura Rummel - 30 tokens

Lisa Rockowitz - 20 tokens
Emily Peebleton - 30 tokens
Jefferson Galloway - 130 tokens
James Gillot - 20 tokens
Tsumiki Harmon - 30 tokens
Brandon Korner - 40 tokens
Susan Park - 30 tokens
Bobby Jones - 70 tokens

You can see that posters with more endorsement points have much more tokens than those who don't. So get endorsements. In my next post I'll do the news dump and poll numbers and the turn will officially start.

[Wells]

These are real life events that you can look up if you want to learn more about them:

Terrorist attacks in Paris, France kill 130 people. ISIS claims responsibility.
Turkey shoots down a Russian fighter jet. This is the first time since the 1950s that a NATO member destroyed a Russian aircraft.
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference is held in Paris.

And for more in-depth candidate news stories:

Wilkinson's Candidacy Against Catholic Doctrine?

The Father James Wilkinson has announced a run for president after shooting to fame off of his conservative political messages, even going so far as to promote a fringe conspiracy theory that President Dave Leip is secretly a Muslim.

However, as a Catholic priest, he is barred from running for office. A recent poll by YouGov asked five hundred Republicans whether they thought Wilkinson should be allowed to run. 50% said yes, 38% said no, and 12% didn't care or were undecided.

Reports Show One More Candidate May Join The Race

Sources say that there is another candidate on the Republican side eyeing a run. Once they join, they will be able to participate from the second turn onwards.


And for the latest polls:

Iowa Democratic Caucus
Brandon Korner 19%
Jefferson Galloway 13%
Susan Park 12%
Bobby Jones 11%
Emily Peebleton 10%
James Gillot 10%
Tsumiki Harmon 8%
Lisa Rockowitz 3%

Iowa Republican Caucus
Daniel Conway 22%
Laura Rummel 16%
Ethan Berkowitz 15%
Samuel O'Houlihan 13%
Abraham Washington 8%
James Wilkinson 7%

New Hampshire Democratic Primary
Susan Park 17%
Brandon Korner 14%
James Gillot 13%
Jefferson Galloway 12%
Bobby Jones 12%
Emily Peebleton 10%
Lisa Rockowitz 8%
Tsumiki Harmon 4%

New Hampshire Republican Primary
Ethan Berkowitz 22%
Daniel Conway 16%
Samuel O'Houlihan 14%
Laura Rummel 14%
Abraham Washington 13%
James Wilkinson 12%


This turn will last exactly 72 hours starting now.  At the end there will be a Republican debate.

[Wells]

Is it too late for my announcement or should I wait a turn?

You can go ahead with that but you'll have to wait until the next turn to do anything else.

[Wells]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Campaigning in Minnesota costs more than one token.

[Wells]

Is that a good way to endorse?

What state is Senator Marks from?

[Wells]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Campaigning in Minnesota costs more than one token.

Changed it to Maine.

And positive advertisements cost less than negative ones. Your post spends an extra token.

[Wells]

Just a few things to say:

• If you can't PM then it's probably because you don't have enough posts. Don't worry, I'll work on a solution and in the meantime you can manage without PMing me. Corruption and endorsements aren't necessary to win.
• 5+10+3+2+2+1+1+1+2=27. Not 28.
• Barnstorming costs 10 tokens, not 6.
• The Iowa caucuses will be after Turn 3.
• There is no set time period for turns. Yes, they are 72 hours in real life, but in game this turn takes place some time before Iowa, and some time close to when the news events detailed in the starting post happened.
• In the future, if you haven't fixed any errors in your turn then I won't bother to tell you and I'll just fix it myself (by charging you the extra tokens you left out or similar). And your mistake will have consequences.

[Wells]

Could I conduct an internal poll by posting on this thread for now & have you PM me the results? Also, can I internally poll states that aren't being publically polled yet?

It doesn't take me long to make a poll. Internal polls only cost one token for most states, two in MI, NC, GA, OH, PA, IL, NY, FL, TX, and CA, or zero if you can get a Super PAC to do it for you.

And I came up with a solution for those who can't PM me. If you're one of those people then tell me in this thread and I'll PM it to you.

Yes, I do realize I raised the price of some internals.

[Wells]

I want to conduct an internal poll for Nevada.

Your inbox is full. I can't send it to you. (Clear it.)

[Wells]

Once again, barnstorming costs ten tokens, not six or two.

[Wells]

Also, since Mike said I could, I endorse Gov. Peebleton.

I did say that. . . may as well give everybody a few endorsement points.

[Wells]

Currently there are 8 candidates who haven't posted their turn with 24 hours left. Please get them in!

[Wells]

I've decided to give everyone an extra 24 hours to post their turns during the Republican debate. I'll have the debate rules and questions up soon.

[Wells]

I'm posting my announcement and early schedule, but I'm confused: how many tokens do I have? I don't have any big endorsements (yet) and I'm not listed on the last page since I'm sorta late to the party.

It's still turn one, so you don't have any tokens. At the beginning of turn two I will distribute tokens and new arrivals can start campaigning.

[Wells]

Originally I wasn't going to allow turns during the debate, but so many people haven't put theirs up that I figured I had to.

On with the debate: It will last 24 hours and complete this turn. You must answer all questions directed at you by the moderator (me) and can only respond to another candidate's response if they mention you by name. You may only choose to respond to one candidate's response.

The following candidates are invited to the debate: Samuel O'Houlihan, Abraham Washington, Ethan Berkowitz, Daniel Conway, James Wilkinson, Laura Rummel, Harry Auldman*, Nick Walsh*.

_{*You still have to wait until turn two to campaign, though not to announce.}

Questions:

Opening Statements

Recent movements across the country are spreading the message that the minimum wage should be raised to as high as $15. Lexington, Kentucky recently raised the minimum wage to $10.10, while Portland, Maine rejected a $15 minimum wage. Will the minimum wage be raised under your presidency, and if so, by how much?

Some of you have been attacking the news media for being “unfair and disrespectful” to you. Do you believe that you or other candidates have been getting fair treatment by the media?

An issue that has been getting a lot of attention lately is the widespread cases of illegal immigration. What steps will you take to secure the border and find a place for immigrants?

Under David Leip’s presidency, the national debt is projected to be upwards of $20 trillion. Is this important to you and will you fix this?

The polls on the Democratic side show an even closer race than this one, but our latest Fox Poll shows Emily Peebleton with a small lead. How would you describe the current Democratic Party front runner?

(To O’Houlihan) You’ve come under fire for posting some tweets which seemed to be the cause of another candidate temporarily leaving the race. Tsumiki Harmon, a Democratic candidate said you should have your phone taken away. What is your response to her statement and do you stand by your tweets, even the one that said: “anyone that is sad enough to be near you is a disgusting pig themself”?

(To Washington) Some pundits have been calling you too moderate to be nominated. You are staunchly neutral on social issues and labelled yourself as a “Reagan Democrat” in the late 1980s. You are in the single digits in our latest poll. Are you too moderate to be nominated?

(To Berkowitz) Most pundits are saying that you are too extreme on issues like immigration and abortion to stand a chance in a general election. Can you win with stances like that?

(To Conway) On the campaign trail we have seen you defend free trade from its critics. This is a contentious issue that doesn’t necessarily divide us among party lines. Does your experience in economics provide you with any special insight into this issue?

(To Wilkinson) A running scandal in this campaign has been the fact that Catholic Priests such as yourself are not allowed to run. Are you going to cease your campaign or cease being a priest?

(To Rummel) On the campaign trail, you have been a vocal proponent of decriminalizing the usage of marijuana. Could you explain your stance on the issue?

(To Auldman) You are by far the candidate with the most political experience on stage, yet this cycle there seems to be strong support for candidates who brand themselves as outsiders. How would you defend your years inside our political system?

(To Walsh) You have barely been in the House of Representatives for a year and yet you are already running for president. Some pundits have described you as “too ambitious” or have been questioning whether you have enough experience. What is your rebuttal to these claims?

Closing Statements

[Wells]

If you haven't posted your turn by now, it's too late. Better luck next time. Same goes for the debate. Turn 2 will start once I get tokens, polls, and news stories done. Harry Auldman, Nick Walsh, and Antonio Jasso will be able to campaign this turn. Expect tokens shortly.