Confirmation Hearing: Adam Griffin for Game Moderator (VOTING - 5 days)

[Senator Napoleon]

I want to vote Aye because I think he would do a good job.
I want to vote Nay because I don't believe the GM should be involved in partisan politics.

So I abstain.

[Ѕenator Αverroës]

Nay

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Vote on Final Confirmation of Adam Griffin as Game Moderator:

Aye (4): Franzl, Mr. X/jdb, NC Yankee and Snowstalker
Nay (5): Averroës Nix, Ben, HagrdoftheDeep, Oakvale and Spamage
Abstain (1): Napoleon

Didn't Vote (0):

I am pretty sure this can be ended, but I would double check first.

[Senator Snowstalker]

Mr. Griffin, I would like to see you as Game Moderator. I voted Aye on your confirmation. However, much as I oppose their votes, the five senators who voted against your confirmation have genuine grievances. You don't have to resign outright. I simply ask, as the lone senator of your party, that you take a leave of absence for the duration of your service as GM.

[GM Griffin]

Mr. Griffin, I would like to see you as Game Moderator. I voted Aye on your confirmation. However, much as I oppose their votes, the five senators who voted against your confirmation have genuine grievances. You don't have to resign outright. I simply ask, as the lone senator of your party, that you take a leave of absence for the duration of your service as GM.

I appreciate both your concerns and support. The reason why I was not willing to accept the compromise as outlined is that, well, such a thing doesn't really exist from a party perspective. The Labor Party is a party of organization and we have clear procedures for when an officer steps aside. There is no protocol for a "leave of absence" (whatever that is); for me to step down for any amount of time is for me to step down permanently. At such point, the Vice-Chair becomes Chair - there's no other interpretation for such an action.

While we certainly expected questions regarding an unprecedented nomination (which again, was not my issue with the way these confirmation hearings were handled), it was never an initial criteria of my nomination for me to relinquish the Chairmanship in exchange for the role as GM. Had this been a consideration prior, I simply would not have ran again to be Labor Party Chair.

Some may wish to frame this as "party over country". However, this is really an issue of prior commitments. I would have loved to have provided the GM role the due diligence it deserves. Still, I ran and was re-elected as Chair first, and with those existing obligations being handed to me by the Party, I do not feel it appropriate for me to vacate in exchange for a position that was proposed after the fact. I take every role I hold or have held in this game seriously, and have a strong loyalty to any group of people who choose me as their leader or representative. It would be unfair and unreasonable for me to run for a position, only to abdicate literally days afterward because an outside body dictates such in order for my mettle to be proven to serve the game in a different capacity.

[Snowguy716]

Mr. Griffin, I would like to see you as Game Moderator. I voted Aye on your confirmation. However, much as I oppose their votes, the five senators who voted against your confirmation have genuine grievances. You don't have to resign outright. I simply ask, as the lone senator of your party, that you take a leave of absence for the duration of your service as GM.

I'd like to be on the public record to say that requiring a GM to somehow be "non-partisan" outside of his duties as GM is ridiculous and counterproductive to the game.

We've tried this many times, including with Shua.  Because of this, the game hasn't had a proper, active GM in quite a long time.

Adam Griffin would do a great job as GM, and this demand that he be unseated as head of the Labor party in order to do that job is ridiculous.

Having no GM only hurts the game.  And rejecting the best qualified candidate for the job because you don't like the party he runs will only hurt the game.

How many times does it have to be made clear that if his job as GM is compromised by his partisanship, he will be removed from the post.

There is no risk in confirming him.  Only your ego is in the way.

Some people suggested Napoleon be nominated as GM... some would do it just to get him out of the senate, totally ignoring the fact that he is a de facto leader of the Liberal Party and is not the best qualified for the GM position... so there is hypocrisy here.

I'd hope AG stays on as chairman of the Labor Party to build and strengthen it and reform it into an open, transparent big-tent left wing party in Atlasia.

If the game has no real world complications or economic data.. and the senate just wants to pass bills to make them feel good about their own ideology (rather than solving problems that only a GM can introduce or interpret)... then so be it.

[Senator Ben]

Frankly, Griff, I don't particularly believe you at this point.  GM is an incredibly important role; if you weren't willing to step down for a few months as Chairman of your party, then you should have either never accepted the nomination, or withdrawn when this became an issue.  This is your own fault, and your own doing.

[Snowguy716]

Frankly, Griff, I don't particularly believe you at this point.  GM is an incredibly important role; if you weren't willing to step down for a few months as Chairman of your party, then you should have either never accepted the nomination, or withdrawn when this became an issue.  This is your own fault, and your own doing.

Oh please...
If Adam Griffin were head of TPP, you'd have voted yes twice already. 

Instead, you'd rather make the game suffer so you can pretend to have a clear conscience.

This is all a bunch of hot air and faux outrage.

Frankly, Ben, I don't particularly believe you at this point.  GM is so important, that the position should be filled even if you have some qualms about potential conflicts of interest.  We have checks and balances to deal with such conflicts of interest.  It's called.. the GM can be fired.

But no.. let's allow you to be the one that keeps the game hobbled without a GM... and then let you blame that on the person you rejected for the job.

What a f**king joke.

[Senator Napoleon]

Some people suggested Napoleon be nominated as GM... some would do it just to get him out of the senate, totally ignoring the fact that he is a de facto leader of the Liberal Party and is not the best qualified for the GM position... so there is hypocrisy here.

First of all, that is ridiculous. I am not in the Liberal leadership and the only people who see me as that, de facto or otherwise, are people in certain other parties who want to try and use that image to gain votes for their own party. In fact, I was only Vice Chair while President because I was kind of forced to. I felt pretty strongly that as President I should not serve in a party leadership position (this one is personal preference- I don't see anything inherently wrong with a partisan as President).

Second, were I to seek or accept a nomination for the GM position, I would pledge to refrain from any and all political activity for the duration of that term, instead focusing solely on the duties of the position that demands respect and authority for all Atlasians. This is not at all inconsistent with anything I've said or done before.

And rejecting the best qualified candidate for the job because you don't like the party he runs will only hurt the game.

Having been President, I am well aware that there are many, many qualified candidates for the job and I would be hesitant to say Adam Griffin is the best. Personally, i think there are better options but that does not impact my vote- I vote based on qualifications, not whether or not someone else could do better, and I abstained for a reason. Two of my most preferred candidates didn't want to take the job because they didn't trust Marokai not to remove them even if they did a good job. That said, no one voted against Griffin because they didn't like the Labor Party. No matter how many times the loyal soldiers repeat this talking point, it will not be true. As I pointed out, I had even been asked to appoint Wolfentoad GM because, as someone put it "he has so much time on his hands and that's what the job needs". I don't care what party the guy is from, we shouldn't have a GM leading a political party.

Continuing to politicize this issue will only make the GM position more difficult to fill and diminish the legitimacy of the office. Stop.

[Senator Ben]

If Adam Griffin were head of TPP, you'd have voted yes twice already. 

That just isn't true, and I don't like you getting off your high horse and attacking me in such a blatantly false fashion.

I'll also post this:

Enough!  Griff has been rejected; it's time to move on.  Mr. President, I look forward to seeing your next nominee for GM; no doubt he will be well qualified and easy to confirm.

[Senator Snowstalker]

Adam, I personally have no problem with you as GM. Others do. If you want to be GM, you will have to make concessions. It's that simple.

[Snowguy716]

Some people suggested Napoleon be nominated as GM... some would do it just to get him out of the senate, totally ignoring the fact that he is a de facto leader of the Liberal Party and is not the best qualified for the GM position... so there is hypocrisy here.

First of all, that is ridiculous. I am not in the Liberal leadership and the only people who see me as that, de facto or otherwise, are people in certain other parties who want to try and use that image to gain votes for their own party. In fact, I was only Vice Chair while President because I was kind of forced to. I felt pretty strongly that as President I should not serve in a party leadership position (this one is personal preference- I don't see anything inherently wrong with a partisan as President).

Second, were I to seek or accept a nomination for the GM position, I would pledge to refrain from any and all political activity for the duration of that term, instead focusing solely on the duties of the position that demands respect and authority for all Atlasians. This is not at all inconsistent with anything I've said or done before.

And rejecting the best qualified candidate for the job because you don't like the party he runs will only hurt the game.

Having been President, I am well aware that there are many, many qualified candidates for the job and I would be hesitant to say Adam Griffin is the best. Personally, i think there are better options but that does not impact my vote- I vote based on qualifications, not whether or not someone else could do better, and I abstained for a reason. Two of my most preferred candidates didn't want to take the job because they didn't trust Marokai not to remove them even if they did a good job. That said, no one voted against Griffin because they didn't like the Labor Party. No matter how many times the loyal soldiers repeat this talking point, it will not be true. As I pointed out, I had even been asked to appoint Wolfentoad GM because, as someone put it "he has so much time on his hands and that's what the job needs". I don't care what party the guy is from, we shouldn't have a GM leading a political party.

Continuing to politicize this issue will only make the GM position more difficult to fill and diminish the legitimacy of the office. Stop.

I was also president at one point.  And I had a baaaarely competent GM.  But everyone was soooo supportive of Shua for GM because he was this perceived non-partisan figure who could do the job.

In fact, he didn't do his job.  He had no skin in the game.  And he was inactive.  The very post of GM is held in such regard that it drives the GMs out of the game.  Griffin had the potential to change that while providing a valuable service to the game.

Conflict of interest or not.. Adam Griffin has already conceded that being confirmed as GM would have greatly reduced or eliminated his role in the Labor Party.  He would have been a simple overseer while others did the dirty work.  He was ready to give into your demands because the post of GM requires that you be non-partisan.  But in the end, because he wouldn't give up his official title, you rejected him... so it was all about a symbolic gesture in the end... for you to put your mark of power over Marokai.

And now there's a lot of bad blood.

How much you wanna bet the new nominee gets a quick pass through teh senate.  In the end this was nothing but a power struggle between a bunch of self-important senators and the president.  And the senate won the battle... so now they'll give Marokai the quick nod of approval on his back-up candidate.

It's infuriating.

[Senator Napoleon]

He was ready to give into your demands because the post of GM requires that you be non-partisan.  But in the end, because he wouldn't give up his official title, you rejected him... so it was all about a symbolic gesture in the end... for you to put your mark of power over Marokai.

And now there's a lot of bad blood.

It's infuriating.

I abstained. Are you serious Snowguy?

The only person who sank Griffin's nomination was himself. Need proof?

Thank you for making this an easy decision, Adam Griffin. I'd been talking to member of the administration about this but your statements tonight have made it entirely clear that you are not suited to serve as Game Moderator.

I'll be abstaining on the next GM nomination too, for the reasons I outlined in my Senate office.

[Prez Duke]

Ok guys. This vote is over, and according to the rules, the outcome cannot change, despite how some may want otherwise, and all this thread will be good for is fighting. So, I'm locking it temporarily. Goodnight, sweet prince.