Talk Elections

A few years ago, I ran a game in which members of the forum simulated a campaign for the presidential nominations of the two major parties.  It was a success, although I kind of burned out a little towards the end and decided against continuing the game into the general election.

However, times have changed, and I'm now pleased to announce that I will be running another installment of the Atlas Forum Primaries!

For those who remember the last game, there was way too much focus on the candidates writing speeches and running ad campaigns, and then having their efforts judged solely by yours truly.  As a result the game become overly complicated, which contributed to the burnout that most of us felt.  So instead, I've decided to reform the dynamics drastically so that it'll vaguely resemble a RISK game; while it will still involve a degree of strategy, it'll now involve chance instead of creative skill.

Anyway, I'll explain more later.  For now, please sign up here if you'd like to play.  :)



The candidates you can choose from are listed below.  Ignore their race, gender and apparent age, as they are not relevant factors in the game.  The only thing that may be important is their home state, so keep that in mind.

If there is a forum poster's name under each profile, then that person has already been claimed.

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3rd parties plz

I'll play.

Sorry, no.

I'll run as a Democrat.

I will run as a Republican. :)

Me too!

Cool.  Here's the list so far:

Hashemite
Ben Constine
Tmthforu94
Hannibal
Sewer Socialist
Xahar

Not that we're likely to have this many, but the maximum number of players will be 26, with 13 from each party.

I'll play! Republican here!!

I'll play as a Republican.

So, kind of like Atlasia without the government part?  :P

Anyways, I'm in.

By the way, Joe, I had dinner at Ben's Chili Bowl tonight (I don't remember them having quite so much Obama stuff around...they really milk that gimmick for all it's worth) and did a scouting run to see if I could find the Gibson, and I did.  I'll organize an expedition up there with some friends sometime, it looks perfect.  (Sure, it's a bit pricey, but I'm usually a one-drink kind of guy at places like that, so it's no problem)

I'll jump in as a Republican.

Precisely.  :)


Good job!  I enjoyed a rum cocktail called a 'Cricketer', but I'm sure anything you pick will be good.

Also, there's a (usually) lively jazz bar called Cafe Nema that's only a short distance away on U St; #1332 I believe.  They often have live bands playing.  Might be worth a look.  :)

I love Ben's Chili Bowl. Although it was late when I went there and I had a harm time ordering. They also screwed up my order of fries and gave me chips instead.

Me want to play! I'll be... a Republican!

It's great to see so much interest.  :)

Now, check the first post again, as you can now choose which candidate you want to play as.  It's first-come-first-served, so be quick.

Eric Emerson plox

Clay Cooper

Zachary Zuckerman

Jim Jessop seems handsome enough. :P

Quentin Quinn For me.

Kevin Kessler for me plz

Linda Lopez.  New Mexico's an awesome state and, more importantly, a swing state!

If this is still open, I'd like to play as Osborne.

I'm in. I'll take the Michigan Democrat.

Wyatt Williams, the Republican of the Granite State please.

Xander Xiao

(lol)

I knew you'd pick him. :P

oh, you crazy ethnics

Martin Montgomery :)

Helen Hudson

Michel Melançon, Democrat-Maine

or does it need to be a real pol?

Franklin Finch

Pamela Pickering

Gillespie Goldsmith

Sorry, but it needs to be one of the unclaimed pols from the list in the first post.

I'll be Atkins.

Give me Rick ROmano I suppose

I'll give some more time to Hashemite and gregusodenus to specify which candidates they want, and anybody else who wants to jump in too.  I'll get the ball rolling tomorrow at some point.

Victor Vasquez

Ahem

Somebody's an eager beaver!  :P

I've been working today, but I certainly haven't forgotten.  Give me an hour or so to put the next stage together.

Okay, I think that's enough time for people to sign up.  Although we're going to go ahead and start the next stage, it's not too late for more people to join in and pick one of the available candidates.  However, the later they join, the more they'll be disadvantaged; much like in real life campaigns.

Here's the list of declared candidates as we enter the primary season:

DEMOCRATS

Franklin Finch (WV) - Al
Gillespie Goldsmith (LA) - benconstine
Linda Lopez (NM) - The Mikado
Martin Montgomery (ME) - afleitch
Oliver Osborne (MT) - Shilly
Quentin Quinn (TN) - HappyWarrior
Timothy Taylor (MI) - Purple State
Xander Xiao (CA) - Xahar
Zachary Zuckerman (PA) - Sewer Socialist

REPUBLICANS

Andrew Atkins (NY) - fezzyfestoon
Clay Cooper (NC) - Devilman88
Eric Emerson (NV) - Bacon King
Helen Hudson (AR) - tmthforu94
Jim Jessop (MD) - AHDuke99
Kevin Kessler (MN) - AndrewCT
Pamela Pickering (CO) - Vepres
Rick Romano (OH) - Hamilton
Steve Spencer (SD) - North Carolina Yankee
Victor Vasquez (IL) - Hashemite
Wyatt Williams (NH) - Andy Jackson

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So, on to Stage Two.

This is where things start to get fun.  The premise of this stage is that you all need to canvass, campaign and generally pander to your fellow forumites to endorse your candidacy.

Basically, each and every person who is a member of this forum (and has at least 50 posts to their name, just to be safe), will be given five (5) 'endorsement points', which they can give to whichever candidate(s) they choose.

For example, one forum member could choose to give all five points to Candidate A, while another member might choose to give three points to Candidate B (who happens to be a Democrat) and two points to Candidate C (who is a Republican).

Don't worry if nobody is generous enough to endorse you.  The game will admittedly be more difficult for you, but it won't be game over before you've even begun.

You might want to write a SHORT character bio and a general overview of your candidate's issue positions.  This will help the forum members choose who to endorse, but whatever you write will have no impact on the rest of the game.  Please keep it to a single paragraph, and preferably no more than five sentences.

You have 24 hours (or so) to read and digest these instructions, and then the endorsements will officially begin in a separate (and yet to be created) thread.  No endorsements will be accepted until the new thread has been created.

So get out there and start canvassing your forum buddies!!

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Quentin Quinn is a member of the Democratic Party as a member of the Democratic Leadership Council and during his two terms as the Governor of Tennessee made a massive push to rid his homestate of the death penalty and though the state's legislature has not pushed forward on the legislative end, he has placed an executive moratorium on it which has helped to endear him to his party's left wing.  However his strong pro-life views have helped to pull moderates into his campaign.  Unions have however become his strongest supporters because of his efforts in support of them, as well as the fact that is himself a union member.  At the same time he has promised to help out the struggling farmers of America based on his own experience as a young man growing up in a farming community and his working for the farmers of Tennessee as Governor.

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Senator Timothy "Tim" Taylor is a resident of Detroit, Michigan, born and raised. He is a lifetime member of the Democratic Party and is currently the state's senior Senator, where he has prided himself as the "lion of labor" and has pushed for dramatic reforms to bring the labor movement into the 21st century. Tim has also worked hard to push the cause of sexual and gender minorities and started the PRSM (Promoting Respect for Sexual Minorities) Foundation while still serving as Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. As founder of the PRSM Foundation, Tim has been instrumental in making the case for equal rights for all. On the economy, Tim has made clear that, while the social safety net is a fundamental pillar of the American dream, the nation must also be fiscally responsible and cannot spend itself into oblivion.

Excellent work, guys.  That's the kind of thing I'm looking for.  :)

(Just to reiterate for the others, the quality of your bio is only to attract support from your fellow forumites.  It has no bearing on the rest of the game.)

My name is Linda Lopez and I approve this message

Generic Female Announcer Voice: Have you or your loved ones been forced to reject medical treatment due to the high premiums of health insurance?
Cut to crowd at Linda Lopez rally: Nunca Mas!
Announcer: Have you worried that education costs would prevent your family from achieving that basic American goal: that your children would have a better life than you?
Crowd: Nunca Mas!
Announcer: Should parents really have to fear deportation and removal from their children because they wanted an honest job in the land of opportunity?
Crowd: Nunca Mas!
Announcer Should children be sent halfway around the world to fight in wars of choice simply because their parents didn't have the resources to choose another path for them?
Crowd: NUNCA MAS!

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Gov. Clay Cooper

Clay Cooper is the Governor of the great state of North Carolina. Winning his first term back in 2004 and was reelected in 2008. Cooper is the first Republican to win the Governor's Mansion in many years. Since becoming Governor he help lower the taxes in the state of North Carolina, and help bring millions of job to the state of North Carolina, because of his low business tax he was able to pass in the State Congress. Cooper is a moderate on socail issues, pushing for equal pay for all, civil unions for Same-Sex Couples, and help pass the Pro-Life bill in the North Carolina Congress. The Pro-Life bill help reduce abortions by 20% by giving women more options other then aborting the child. Also, the Pro-Life bill banned the Death Penalty.

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Wyatt Williams, former Congressman of the New Hampshire 2nd Congressional District and current Junior Senator has begun his push for the Republican Nomination. During his tenure as a Representative and Senator, Williams has acquired the ire of conservatives with his maverick stances compared to the national GOP. Being pro-choice, supportive of civil unions and also for stem cell research, Williams only link to the majority Conservative Republicans are his center right economic policies. Senator Williams hopes to use his run to return the GOP to "the peaceful standards and moderate policies of Rockefeller Republicanism" and to bring about one thing, "Change".

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In his twelve years as United States Senator from Montana, Oliver Osborne has made a name for himself as an advocate for wind and solar energy as well as individual liberties. He is a strong supporter of gun rights and a leading opponent of surveillance and wire-tapping programs that infringe on citizens' privacy. His roots as a farmer in eastern Montana have given him an understanding of the challenges our country faces in finding natural resources to power our industry and agriculture. Osborne's populist demeanor has made him very popular among his constituents and a force in the halls of Congress.

Gov. Pamela Pickering

Pamela Pickering, former representative of Colorado's 2nd congressional district (the only Republican to do so in modern times) and current 7-year governor of Colorado, has certainly made a name for herself in her 13 years of public service. She grew up in the Bronx (and has a strong Bronx accent), and attended CU, after which she settled in Boulder, CO. While in congress she advocated for smart multilateral foreign policy and balanced budgets. Her fiercest rhetoric came when she was opposing violations of privacy or civil rights. As Governor she pushed for smart deregulation of the private sector and advocated for limited smart regulation, cleaned up any and all corruption, and achieved a budget surplus in her 5th and 6th years as Governor.  Most recently she has successfully made significant cuts to the state business tax, which caused a slight economic boom in the state. She is often very frank and energetic, but this has a certain appeal to many disillusioned voters.

Gillespie Goldsmith made a name for himself as the Bienville Parish Prosecutor from 1976 until 1984, when he was known for his tough on crime approach.  He served in the House of Representatives from Louisiana's 4th Congressional District from 1985 until 1992, where he was known for supporting a single payer universal health care program, generous government benefits, labor unions throughout the country, and fair trade policies.  In 1992, he was elected Governor of Louisiana, serving one term.  During that term, he balanced the budget, and brought major job growth to Louisiana.  In 1996, he was elected to the United States Senate, where he continued to vote liberally on domestic policy, and more moderate on cultural issues.  He opposed both the impeachment and censure of President Clinton in 1999, voted for both the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, opposed CAFTA, and has supported giving subsidies to farmers.

He endorsed Al Gore for President in 1988 and 2000, Bill Clinton in 1992, Wesley Clark in 2004, and John Edwards in 2008.

I'll join as a Republican and take Steve Spencer of South Dakota.

No problem.  Now hurry up and prepare yourself for the endorsement round, which officially begins in a few short hours.  :)

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Gov. Steve Spencer started his career not in politics but as a successfull small business owner and manager in Pierre, SD where he was born and raised. Prior to that he had served in the Army and then managed several businesses in the area after graduating from the Univeristy of South Dakota in 1969.  He bought one restaurant when it was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1982. In 1991 he sold it with over 5 locations for $15 million after succesfully turning it around.  In 1992 he ran as a dark horse candidate for the States at-large Congressional seat and he pledge to only spend $5,000 in the primary. To everyone's surprise he defeated 15 other candidates including a former Governor and a state House Speaker. Then went on to win the General election 58-41 beating out yet another former Governor. He served for 4 years winning reelection 72%-28% in 1994. In the house he gained a reputation as a reformer, a fiscal conservative and a strong support of Pro-Life causes. He vote for Welfare Reform, Term Limits, a balanced budget amendment, and against Clinton's 1993 budget.  In 1996 He ran for the Senate and won 51-49.  He became an even more vocal critic of Clinton in the Senate going on to vote for his impeachment. He also voted for DOMA and the ban on partial birth abortion. In 2002 he left the Senate after one term and ran for Governor wining 54-46. In his term as Governor he began to criticize the Presidency of George W. Bush for some of its policies such as NCLB, Medicare Part D, the Patriot Act, going into the Iraq War(In 2007 he told reporters that he was pleased with the surge and thought the President had finally wised up in regards to the situation) , out of control spending, and later Immigration. He achieved a balanced budget in his second year in office, faught corruption, cut taxes and strengthened the state economy, and made significant gains in education. In 2006 he won reelection 64-36. In 2008 he did not endorse any particular candidates but hinted strong support for both Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson. After the primaries he publically endorsed McCain but did no compaigning and it was clear he wasn't enthusiatic about McCain at all. He is also a strong supporter of Gun Rights, the military, and lower taxes while he opposes abortion, Gay Marriage, amnesty, and big government.

Already done. :)

;)

That was as short as I could make it. You want to see long. :P

Dianne Dalton!

Welcome!  Again, you'd better hurry up and get yourself prepared.  :)

I'm starting to feel like I didn't say enough.  :(

I think it's okay, but you can amend your submission if you really want to.  (If you do, please make a new post; don't edit the previous one.)

I'm so excited to see this get really underway! lol

You may have mentioned this, but can candidates vote in the endorsements round?

Yep.  The new thread will explain everything.

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Xander Xiao, recently elected to his third term, is the Senior Senator from California. Prior to his election, he served five terms in the House of Representatives. In Congress, he has no major legislatve accomplishments to point to, but he has accumulated a solidly liberal voting record and has had his name attached to most major legislation.

The endorsement thread is now open! (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=104222.0)

You have three days before we begin the Iowa caucuses, so try and get as many endorsements as you can to help you.

I cannot emphasize enough how helpful these endorsement points will be to your success, so get campaigning!


N.B.  Don't worry if you haven't written a character profile yet - just post it here and I'll add it to the other thread.  It's not essential to have one anyway.

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Eric Emerson is a member of the Republican Party and the two-term Governor of Nevada. Often considered to be among the more moderate members of the GOP, he applies his party's small government roots to all aspects of his governing philosophy. While his Mormon beliefs inspire many of his social views, he is not a typical religious conservative; recently Emerson even gained controversy announcing his support of non-marriage civil unions. Trained as an economist and a businessman, he strongly opposes government waste, favoring incentives-based private-sector solutions whenever appropriate. Unlike the more hardline members of his caucus, however, Emerson explicitly acknowledges that a legitimate role does exist for the government, especially in ensuring that America's children receive a first-rate education and that the country's natural beauty is preserved for future generations. A memorable quotation from his 2002 Gubernatorial primary debate perhaps highlights best Emerson's approach to politics- "Stop with the rhetoric," he pleads to his opponent, "and just ask yourself what's really best for the people."

Age: 48

Assistant Secretary of the Navy 1995-1998
Undersecretary of State 1998-2000
Junior Senator from Missouri (2001-Present)

Dianne Dalton is currently the junior Senator from Missouri and is a maverick Democrat. Graduating from Columbia University, Dianne underwent Graduate School at Harvard University. Following her college years, she joined the Peace Corps, hoping to "do some good in the world".

She moved back to her native Missouri, and settled down with her family. She married Thomas Dalton, a US Representative. While Tom Dalton later retired to open up a law practice, the couple were very popular in DC, and Dianne was appointed to a few positions in the 1990s. After winning the Senate Race in 2000, she has been an advocate of compromise in fiscal matters, and is a foreign policy hawk. However, she maintains a very high level of social liberalism.   

Oh yeah, Joe, could you give my candidate a better looking picture. Ya know, one that doesn't incinerate my eyes :P

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Jim Jessop (R-MD)

James Jessop, or more lovingly known as Jim, is the former two-term Governor and current Senator hailing from the great state of Maryland. Mr. Jessop combines good looks, quick wit, and soft hands to his political career, becoming the first Republican to be reelected with 60% of the vote in Maryland in a long time. Mr. Jessop has been in the crosshairs of the Republican base for years. He is a member of both the Main Street Republican Partnership and It's My Party Too coalitions, has sided with the Democrats on issues such as the stimulus, TARP, gun control, and is an outspoken advocate of abortion and gay rights. He believes that small government applies to both economics and social policy, and acts accordingly. He does, however, possess a hawkish streak and favors tough crime laws. Under his governorship, the crime rate in Maryland dropped to levels nearly half of what they were prior to his swearing in. With your help, Jessop hopes to be the most handsome candidate ever to make it through the Republican Primary.

Sorry, the pictures are unchangeable.  And anyway, Pamela is a beautiful, beautiful... um... woman.

Out of curiosity, where did you get those pictures from anyway?

Mine is a member of the Ohio state house.

They all are, with the exception of Xander Xiao, who is from the Washington state house.

Ok another question. Which primary order are you doing, and how many days are you intending to have between each primary?

I'm still putting the primary schedule together, but we'll start with the obvious ones, i.e. Iowa then New Hampshire.  I will publish the full schedule before we start Iowa.

I reckon three days between each primary is reasonable, but I'll probably allow extensions in special circumstances.

When will the Iowa caucus occur?
Also, will the results be made up, or will Atlas users determine the winner?

Age: 71
Location: War, WV.
Occupation: Retired. Former UMW official.
Member of the West Virgina House of Delegates 1979-1981, 1983-1985, 1987-1991 1991-1997, 1999-2001, 2003-present.
Unsuccesful candidate (defeated in primary) House of Representatives (1990).
Unsuccesful candidate (defeated in primary) Governor (2000).
Unsuccesful candidate (defeated in primary) House of Delegates (1980, 1984, 1996).
Unsuccesful candidate (defeated in primary) State Senate (1976).

Finch is running for President because he had a dream. In that dream, the face of God spoke to him and told him that he had to run for President in order to defeat the Anti-Christ. Finch openly talks of these matters and equates the Anti-Christ with (variously) Wall Street, Mine Owners, People from California, People from New York, Mexicans, Capitalism, the Media, Homosexuals, Canadians, Hippies, Republicans and former State Delegate (and Finch's next door neighbour) Tom Thomas.

It'll begin tomorrow.  The process will be explained at that point, but the only involvement Atlas users (other than the candidates) will have is already underway in the endorsements thread.  :)

Okay so I got called up last-minute to a conference in Las Vegas this weekend, so I'm not sure how much spare time I'll have to get things going.  Don't worry though, just hold on for a few more days.  Sorry!  :)

Location: Lake County, IL
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives 1989-1993
Member of the United States House of Representatives 1993-1999
Member of the United States Senate 1999-present

Victor Vasquez is currently the Junior Senator from Illinois, after having served as Representative and State Representative. In 1988, he was elected to the State Legislature of Illinois representing a Lake Country district, becoming one of the legislature's youngest members. As State Legislator he earned a reputation for bi-partisan deals, but steadfast and passionate defense of his political positions. In 1992, he ran and won for US Congress in Illinois' 8th congressional district, a moderate Republican-leaning district. In Congress, he became known as a foreign policy expert, and became Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs in 1996. As Representative, he also advocated tax cuts and conservative budgets. In 1998, he ran for US Senate and defeated Democratic incumbent Senator Carol Moseley Braun by a 53-47 margin. He was easily re-elected in 2004 as a 'moderate economically conservative Republican', winning 59% of the vote.

As Senator, he supported tax cuts, balanced spending, but also developed a moderate record on social issues, favouring abortion rights, civil unions and tough environmental regulation. He strongly supported the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, though he has moderated his steadfast support with the war's dwindling popularity. Vasquez is also the leader of the Hispanic Republican Alliance, a caucus he founded within the party to promote Hispanic Republicans and to favour immigration reform.

Please reconsider that.  I know you're certainly not the first, but I did ask people to keep their bios to one paragraph and five sentences.  The post in the endorsement thread in which I copy-and-paste them has a 10,000 character limit.  I've had to be creative to circumvent that, but it's a pain in the ass to do.

This thread is now closed.

The Democratic primaries will continue here (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=104385.0).

The Republican primaries will continue here (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=104386.0).

If you still want to (belatedly) join in as a new candidate, please say so in the relevant party thread.  If you want to add or update your character bio, you can send me a PM.  :)