Sawx for Governor - Our Northeast (Victory Speech)

[Morning in Atlas]

Prescott Park, Portsmouth, NH - 2014

Unfortunately, it seems like the Talleyrand era seems to be reaching its zenith, and we must decide who will ring in the newest era of the Northeast. I am running, obviously, because I see a clear difference between myself and my counterpart, CJO Barnes. Do not get me wrong – I have no personal disagreements with him, and off the battlefield. However, I am very troubled by his recent openness to bicameralism and consolidation. I had grown open to them originally, but was undecided by the time they came to the table to be voted upon (which I note is my only missed vote in my tenure as an Assemblyman). However, now that I have weighed each option, I have realized the truth: that both of these proposals will change the Northeast fundamentally as we know it, and I am firmly against each.

Since I gained an interest in politics, I noticed that the Northeast has had three main values: equality, liberty, and community. Bicameralism would simply be a naked power grab by the federal government that would destroy our region. Consolidation adds a large chunk of the big government Mideast into our region. Now, of course, I have nothing against our more conservative neighbors, but these people have a completely different vision for Atlasia than we do – while we believe that government should protect us from our inside threats, most of the Mideast believes that the government should protect us from ourselves. That is, that the government should be able to choose how you live and how you act. For example, their two Senators are trying to force an amendment taking away our regional power to dictate marriage laws. In addition, we would be taking in the region that elected a firebrand who personally attacked one of my dear friends, former VP Windjammer, to the governorship. Let them build themselves back up – they can do it without our help.

As for an alternative, I'd like to float out my personal plan – bring back five districts for Senate elections in addition to the regional Senators. Each will be led up to a redistricting commission of three Atlasians - one Laborite, one Federalist, and one third party or independent candidate, each appointed by the President, and will independently draw fair districts based on aesthetics and population. This solves the At-Large Senate problem while preserving the original structure of Atlasia as it was meant to be.

CJO Barnes, of course, is running on continuing the progress that our great Governor Talleyrand has made. However, I simply cannot see how continuing our fight for progress is possible when we are taking in the heartland of big government conservatism. He calls the death of bicameralism “rather sad”, and is firmly allied with the main figures pushing the big-government takeover of our region. If elected governor, I promise you that I will preserve our Northeast, and our ideals of equality, liberty, and community. I won't let party bosses decide who the best candidate for us is, and I surely won't let Senators Cassius and JCL dictate how we live our lives. Whether you root for the Red Sox or Yankees, the Bruins or Canadiens, or the Giants or Eagles, we are all united under one banner. One region. One Northeast.

This is our f***ing region. And I won't let anybody dictate our freedom.

We Are The World by Lil B plays in the background as Assemblyman Sawx walks off to cheers from a roaring crowd of his adoring supporters.

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[Morning in Atlas]

Thank you all for the endorsements and best wishes. Expect a few speeches some time in the next few days.

[Morning in Atlas]

MetLife Stadium – East Rutherford, NJ

First of all, I would like to give my thanks to Barnes for his welcome to the race. I look forward to our jousting matches as well. I'd also like to thank the Giants and Jets for welcoming me to their home – I can't remember the last time a Patriots fan got this warm of a reception.

Second of all, I have released a quote from one of Barnes' official press releases on bicameralism that proves that my quote was factually correct. He literally said that the death of bicameralism was rather sad, and no amount of doublespeak can take back what my opponent really feels about it. It is fairly obvious that bicameralism would be a federal takeover of regional rights, and I see it as beyond unacceptable. The beauty of the Atlasian system is that if we want a law passed, and we want to see if it is a good idea, we can simply test it out in one of our five regions. If our test run fails, then the plan is repealed and dies. If it succeeds, then other regions, or even the federal government, can expand it so the entire country can prosper. Taking that away would destroy that potential that we have.

As for that specific issue, I'd like to point out Barnes' party's support of the Ratification Process Alteration Resolution, which, in simpler terms, would allow state assemblies to ratify constitutional amendments by a simple majority vote. I had to mull over time to think about it, but this simply seems like a terrible idea. While Senator Deus raises very valid concerns about taking power from the people and putting it in the hands of politicians, I believe that the RPAR is a scheme to revive the dead idea of bicameralism and take away our rights. Electing Barnes to the governor's mansion would leave him as the last line of defense between the people and an overreaching government, and considering he supports this issue, keeping him in charge would be dangerous.

But as Barnes requested, I will outline my issues. Personally, I believe that we do not need a constitutional convention – in fact, I consider it yet another scheme for Labor to circumvent the rules and subvert the will of our people. My opponent even said that the Northeast was the most active region, and because of that, we should keep our current constitution instead of scrapping the entire thing. Instead of destabilizing the system completely, I will work with the Northeast Assembly and consult with my constituents to see how parts of the constitution can be changed to be better for the Northeast. For example, I helped pass Governor Talleyrand's bill to stop the torrent of weekly special elections that impede the flow of actual government and help reduce the turnover problem our region had. I will continue to work with the Assembly to enhance our current constitution rather than start fresh.

As for housing, I believe that housing the poor is a very noble cause, and that we should end homelessness. The group that I want to focus on first, however, is Atlasia's veterans. They have risked life and limb to preserve our freedom, and they deserve better than being abandoned by our country. I would sponsor a bill for free housing for our veterans, administered by our Veterans' Affairs program. Also, should a veteran want to further their education, I support their fully subsidized college education, and I would support a job training program if they wanted to go in that field. The men and women who fought for our country deserve to fight – it's time to give them a fighting chance.

In conclusion, it is clear why my opponent is engaging in attacks against me instead of debating the issue. While I have created a specific alternative to help bring back true, meaningful reform while preserving our region's ideals of freedom, CJO Barnes continues to try and resuscitate a plan that he admits is dead. While I have shown my willingness to go against Labor in the past and was punished for it, Barnes' only plan is to game the system so he can help pass a government takeover of our Northeast. So to answer your question, Barnes – why am I running? I'm running because I want to serve the people. You're running because you want to serve your party.

Thank you and good night.

[Morning in Atlas]

Alright. I'm a little pressed for time because RL issues, but I can at least make some rudimentary response.

1. I have proof that multiple Labor officials (including you) would have supported my candidacy had I ran, and that it was floated to Labor's higher ups (and well-supported, seemingly until Barnes got in).

2. Do you have proof of this? I originally said I was undecided, but I never said I was a sure thing.

3. Then let's have a debate or two, considering the people seem to clamor for one now.

[Morning in Atlas]

It's quite unsurprising that Barnes' biggest backer decided to take a direct response to me. I'm quite flattered by it – especially considering it took just two days for my opponent to bring out his biggest endorser, and four to receive an article in The Atlasian Laborinth. Of course, this article is very untrue – I actually introduced the FitzGerald-Grehan Act, which legalized the right to privacy in peoples' vehicles after Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald was cruelly accosted by a rogue man and a rogue police force. Labor continues to follow the policy that if they repeat this lie enough, it will become true – which I will not allow.

Let's start off with the Seventeenth Amendment. This, of course, allows anyone to indefinitely vote on any amendment, whether alive or dead. With the RPAR, any amendment – not just bicameralism or consolidation - will take a simple majority vote by the Assembly, and bypass the governor directly. That is, if Labor passes the RPAR, and they get a simple majority in the Senate and three regional governments, they can pass their agenda. And with their optimal plan of three regions, the amount of regions they need a majority in to pass their agenda reduces to two. Never mind that I would have voted against this because of my concerns about bicameralism, and that I never made a concrete assumption about it – consolidation is a plot for Labor to advance their agenda without any checks on the people.

Onto his other accusations. Curiously, Adam Griffin is trying to say that this funny little thing called the IRC made a plot to destroy Labor. Well, let me tell my side of the story. There was a man who wanted to run for governor of the Northeast. He floated it to a few high-ranking Laborites, and they liked it. But when a personal friend of Griffin's went rogue and ran anyway, all of Labor decided to line up in his corner – even the people who promised to endorse their original candidate. And this happened ever-so-coincidentally, two days after the consolidation vote left. If you couldn't figure it out, that candidate who wanted to run before Barnes was me. Griffin says that it was simply Barnes saying that he wanted to run and be governor, but let me ask you all something. Is it really that much of a coincidence that two days after the vote on Labor's highest priority didn't go their way, they decided to go with another candidate? Who to know that the Labor Party is doing an active purge of its members – including a former president and a sitting Senator – than someone who was part of that purge? Who to know the inner dealings of the party better than an ex-Labor castoff?

Let me tell you something, Griffin. No amount of lies, conspiracy theories, or ad hominems from Barnes or his surrogates can stop this train. You may have destroyed my future with Labor, but passing me over only made my resolve stronger. I didn't leave because of any external factors – I left because I learned the Labor Party cannot be trusted under any circumstances. This month, Labor betrayed me. Next month, if Barnes wins, it will be you, me, and the entire Northeast feeling Adam Griffin's cold knife in their back. Don't make the same mistake that I did, when I was foolish and naive. Don't trust Labor.

[Morning in Atlas]

I'm actually firmly against bicameralism (and Labor's cult-ish obsession with it), and have been for a while. I mean my sources say that Griffin knew about my run and that the day after the RPAR failed (mind you because I was pissed about bicameralism), he gave Barnes the okay to run a campaign of his own... but that can't be a coincidence, can it?

[Morning in Atlas]

As for Sawx, I understand he wanted to run for Governor, but his switch to TPP seems odd.

I actually had a conversation with Talleyrand regarding a run for governor. In fact, before I even mentioned it, he said that I should run, and I expressed my interest to him. Might as well take his advice.

[Morning in Atlas]

I'm not denying that - nor do I consider you one of the traitors I mentioned. The actual traitors know who they are - and they surely aren't you. I'm just saying, I have my sources that back what I said - that is, Griffin knew of my candidacy before Barnes took place, and that Griffin seems to be the one taking the mantle from Duke.

As I've said before, I'd like to expand on the other solutions I have for the Northeast in a debate with my opponent, and invite him to join me in selecting a moderator.

[Morning in Atlas]

My source is in Labor leadership. You should be able to figure it out yourself - after all, he was the one who personally told you that I had plans to run.

Don't lie to me, Fredo.

[Morning in Atlas]

The Mideast Hate Bill. Holy sh**t, I could not be more disgusted by this. Never mind that it essentially breaks down the barrier between church and state by pushing a far-right definition of marriage – it's hate, plain and simple. As Atlasia has a strong LGBT community, this bill thoroughly disgusts me, and I applaud Senator Bore's attempt to fix this problem. It flies in the face of common sense, and encourages state discrimination against them, obviously. To remedy this problem, I have proposed a bill prohibiting the state teaching any definition of marriage that discriminates against any class – from simple, resolved issues like LGBT marriage to polygamous marriages.

This also proves why I am against consolidation – if Labor's current plan passes, half the Mideast will be absorbed into our region. This is far unlike Winfield's concerns about the Same Love Act - bigots like hifly will not only have a say in Northeast politics, but have a legitimate chance of getting elected and spreading their morals to the rest of our region. I understand that I am beating a dead horse here about game reform, but it is clear to me that regional consolidation is much more than a fight against my former party. It's a fight for our ideals of liberty and free will. Whether you are left-wing or right-wing, I warn you – the scourge of social conservatism is assaulting the walls of the Northeast. Vote for me, and I will lead the defense of our land of freedom and love.

[Morning in Atlas]

Of course. I believe that the Mideast can govern on their own.

[Morning in Atlas]

hifly15 is nominated to replace Averroës Nix as SoEA.

The f**k is this sh*t?

[Morning in Atlas]

I agree. Someone who literally led the charge of Atlasia's fiercest attack against LGBTs in recent history gets a Cabinet nomination?

DemPGH, and anyone who votes for his confirmation, is an accessory to his bigotry. As Governor, I will make sure that the Northeast will be a land of peace and love for all.

[Morning in Atlas]

The scene is Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, PA. Northeast Assemblyman Sawx walks up to a crowd of adoring supporters, as Dreams and Nightmares by Meek Mill plays as his walkup song.



Gentlemen, in my short career in Atlasian politics, it's safe to say I've seen some shit. I've seen someone who was fiercely anti-LGBT with Nazi sympathies be nominated to be our Secretary of External Affairs by our left-wing party, and someone who supports the legalization of bestiality be confirmed to that office. I've seen a party stand by its president no matter what, even as he managed to fire a game moderator because he didn't like what was happening with the game. I've been treated as persona non grata by my old party because I ruled on what was best for my region, not what its establishment wanted me to do. You get the point - gradually, I've learned to expect the unexpected from the Labor Party. However, I didn't expect them to stoop as low as this.

The "Because You've Earned It" Act. Personally, I find it a little suspicious that the Labor Party decided to wait this long to propose something like this, especially during the brief time where they were tied with TPP and when the independents led them. I also find it funny that Barnes' most famous surrogate, and the man who has managed to attack me more than Barnes on the campaign trail, is proposing a bill that pins the date that qualifies it as the exact same date that they would have gained their “preferred placement” on the ballot. Bottom line is, you know it, and I know it. This isn't a ploy for reform or some incentive to create a bigger party – this is Labor's way of trying to rig the game so their candidate can win.

Look, we all know the Labor Party is more desperate to score this October than a frat boy during last call. I didn't just know that they were desperate enough to play with our elections. If I am elected, I will propose a bill making candidate placement on the ballot totally random, giving no candidate a true advantage on the ballot. I now call on my opponent to denounce this blatant ploy to tinker with the fair elections that the Northeast values  so dearly, and I call on my supporters to reject the Labor Party's war on democracy this weekend.

[Morning in Atlas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0h2u87JwyA



Winterfell - somewhere in the mountains of NH

Well, this month's been a long, exhausting ride, so I'll just keep this simple. It's taken me all across the Northeast, where I've managed to meet all sorts of faces, and all sorts of awesome people. As a citizen of this great region, I'm proud to say that we've always been a region for the people - not political parties, not for government. We've been able to balance giving everyone as fair of a chance as possible while giving them the freedom to do as much as possible. I've ran to help defend our Northeast from outside influences. Now, I need you get out to the polls so you can help defend it with me.

[Morning in Atlas]

Winterfell - somewhere in NH, shortly after the news.



A month-long representative, a bunch of Federalists, D-Rs, TPPers, and even a few Laborites... we're as motley of a crew as you can get. But who would have thought that a band of misfits like us would shake the establishment from within? Who would have thought that a true coalition of the people, from JCL to dallasfan, from MattVT to Deus, would hold? Who would have thought that we could have made this possible? Well I have some news – my greatest analysts have determined that we are above 50% in any potential runoff situation. That's right – we did it, and I won't let you down.

When I first ran for governor, I had a special idea in mind. To be honest, I was alarmed at the idea of consolidation. I summed it up fairly well, but my good friend Senator JCL told me when I first started running that this wasn't about moralism vs. libertarianism. He told me that he extended his hand to me because of the simple principle that Mideastern manners should remain decided by the Mideast, and the Northeast's matters should remain in the Northeast. I saw it as an idea being pushed by party bosses against the will of the Northeast, and I felt like someone had to run to defend the people.

I would like to thank my opponents, CJO Barnes, and Winfield, for putting their names into consideration for governor. While we may disagree vehemently on some issues, I admire them for being brave enough to run and express their ideas on how they can serve this region. I have full faith in them, and they have a very bright future ahead of them. Follow your dreams, brothers.

But most of all, I'd like to thank you, the good people of the Northeast. My friends all told me that I've ran one of the best campaigns they've ever seen. Before the election was over, we managed to clinch a spot in the runoff in a span of a few hours, and we wound up having the election locked up quicker than it surprised me. People credit me for this campaign. But really, I couldn't have been elected without all of you. You got out to the polls to vote for me. You gave me these endorsements. You made this campaign, not me.

You've worked hard for this. Enjoy the party – we've got free food, an open bar, and enough loud to wake up Oceania. The least I could do is be a good host.

Now let's drink.