TPTTAA - RPP Interview/Questions

[Simfan34]

No, not at all. The Right is alive and well, and our loss was the result of a mere technicality. We are strong, our leaders are prominent.  I do  strongly agree the Right needs to unite, if we were to merge with the Populares the resultant party would have less members than the JCP by only two. This is why I formed the Committee for a United Right. Also hurting us is the Silly Party, which I think we will have to work with, and perhaps put forth unity candidates.

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[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

Has the RPP taken any steps to integrate the remaining POP members?

[Simfan34]

Has the RPP taken any steps to integrate the remaining POP members?

Not as far as I am aware. I strongly believe the two parties should formally merge.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

How might the party go about achieving this?

[Simfan34]

The Populares and the RPP would call together special party conventions, and both would pass resolutions that would allow for a merger.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Has the RPP taken any steps to integrate the remaining POP members?

By steps, do you mean have we recruited them to join our party?

I am not sure, as I am not a recruiter, but I think both our parties share a good deal of the same interests in terms of policy. When someone looks at joining a political party, I believe they should join them because they share much of the same policy goals.

There have been rifts between many of our members and Populares members in the past, and that has been what has hindered us from fully merging, but it is not like the JCP spoke fondly of the Populares before they took most of their members. As it stands now, a good bit of the former Populare party is now in the JCP, whether it is because they believe in the left-wing message or not is a mystery and really something I am not interested in. It is disappointing to see people who many of us considered friends and political allies in the past break away and begin to vote against everything they claimed they stood for, but I think that speaks more about the person rather than the party.

From what is left of the Populare party, I think I speak for all of us in saying they are welcome within the RPP if they truly support regional rights, smaller and more efficient government and game reforms. I am not one to ask about how to formally merge, but I think many of the remaining POP members feel a strong loyalty to the name and will likely remain in the party for some time, even if they are not seeing electoral success. That's just my two cents anyway.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Given that your party has now lost two nationwide elections, should the RPP and all right-wingers in Atlasia just close up shop and quit the game?

That is not up to me or anyone else really. Sure, it has been frustrating to see candidates who provide a message and seem to want the job more than anyone else lose because they are not in the largest party. It is incredibly frustrating to see people like BRTD get elected by showing up and saying "I'm running!" only to get elected over more than capable candidates like shua (what a travesty that was).

Part of the reason I am retiring is because it is draining. A lot of us put a good effort into this game only to find is unrewarding, and many of us are tired of wasting our time. I have said it a few times and I will continue to say it; the right will need new blood and new leadership in order to return to the days of the early RPP. I firmly believe that. As it stands, the right and the RPP is at a structural disadvantage in the game, especially with the Populares joining the JCP for whatever reason. In the last election, my running mate and I picked off many votes from other parties and the JCP and still managed to lose. There comes  time where the script has played itself out, and right now, it has run its course. I do not advocate we close up shop at the local and senatorial level, but I think conceding the White House to the JCP, or at least not running our strongest candidates and pouring all of our resources into it, is in order. That's just my personal opinion. I don't like to see our stronger candidates who go out and run campaigns inevitably lose.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Do you think the RPP has failed at GOTV?

The RPP manages to have the highest turnout among all the major parties, so no, it is not a failure to turnout our voters. We just don't have the voters the left has, and when the left needs a new vote, it is easy for them to go out and get one from the forum at large. They have the luxury of not having to turnout as high a percentage as we do to win.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

How do you think your retirement will effect the RPP? You, along with Yankee, are viewed as one of the two co-leaders of the party. Do you think that the party will suffer, or will another, like Bill, take your place?

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Why do you think the RPP has been unable to overtake the JCP in the long term?

The forum is much more left leaning than right leaning, meaning in order for the RPP to overtake the JCP in numbers, we would need a much higher percentage of rightists participating in the game. We have done as best we can at keeping pace, but the only way we will overtake them is with a split up. Last time that happened, the RPP won the presidency, which means I highly doubt anyone will stray from the JCP line anytime soon.

Do you think anyone will ever be able to overtake the JCP in terms of members?

Barring a split-up of the JCP, no.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

How do you think your retirement will effect the RPP? You, along with Yankee, are viewed as one of the two co-leaders of the party. Do you think that the party will suffer, or will another, like Bill, take your place?

If I do retiring, which is about a 99% certainty, I will continue to remain involved within the party and within the game as more of a commentary type figure. I have thought of starting a news organization that actually updates itself and comment on the current goings on.

I do not see it as effecting things all that much. I anticipate a few candidates will emerge in December to take my seat and start things off on a fresher footing. I see my career as hitting a ceiling though. I have been in the senate for two years, and I doubt I will never become president or anything higher than that. I could stick around and overstay my welcome or I could do what is best for everyone and allow a fresh face in. I want to do the latter. But I don't see it as a huge change if and when I do announce my retirement.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Do you think the RPP has failed at GOTV?

It depends on your relative perspective. Considering that we exceeded 80% turnout, it is hard to say we failed at GOTV. For a year prior, the mid 70's was our average. On the other hand, it is true that had Inks, Wonkish and Tb75 turned out last time, we would have a different occupant in the White House. And had Officepark, Smid and tb75 joined the dance this time, and/or if Clarence had registered a week sooner, Cincy would be a Senator. That would have pushed us close to 90% or beyond in terms of turnout.  I beleive that happened last in February of 2009, when the RPP consisted of 22 people and was the largest party in Atlasia. There we run into the fact that a large number of our people have lives and don't have all day to spend in the basement on a political forum. As such, we face an added obstacle right there, yet we still beat everyone else percentage wise.

This is one area we are constantly fine tuning. But 82-85% has been an impregnable ceiling that I doubt will be broken, barring a rare set of circumstances. One big change, is that Regional Chairs were actually pulling their weight for a change rather then most of the work having to fall on myself, Duke and whoever the candidate was. In some places this may have cost or nearly cost us votes, though.

The biggest problem facing the RPP is activity, from top to bottom. A lot of it is the result of people being busy in RL or having lost interest. This is endemic throughout the game and there is little within in the RPP that could be done to solve this in isolation from the rest of the game, though we do plan to try.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Has the RPP taken any steps to integrate the remaining POP members?

As far as back as May of 2010, there were discussions of a merger between the Populares and RPP. The main problem were legitimate fears about Alexander Hamilton, who was still a very big force in Atlasia, even as many as five months hence from his banning. This is was well known by all in the RPP and most of Atlasia. We had spent six months rebuilding our image and merging with a party that everyone viewed as Hamilton's legion, a party which still contained socks of Hamilton, was dead on arrival. Especially once it was revealed that the original plan for a merger had a originated from him.

Once fears of Hamilton dissipated, the main fear become that of a Sharron Angle/Christine O'Donnell/Joe Miller phenomenon, which was ocurring in real life at the very same time. There were a large number of libertarians in the Populares and the fear was they would join with discontented social conservatives in the RPP and go on an African Safari in my rino preserve.

Once that was somewhat passed, it was too late. The Populares still had 20 some members, but no organized political structure. Dallasfan65 was in a no win situation facing a condensed amount of forum time, and no authority to take the party somewhere's else from where it was, which together led to its demise. It didn't help that at various points, some unfornuate incident would occur and such would provoke individual populares members to engage in "revenge acts" against the RPP, either out of anger or a little too much adult beveridge that night. These had long term impacts on how several of the people involved are viewed within the RPP. At times it becomes really annoying. "The hardest thing to govern, is the heart" - Elizabeth I.

At this point, there are maybe 3 or 4 registered Populares remaining that are active, and about 5 or so former Populares in other parties. Depending on the candidate, we can get a third to a half of these voters, but not all of them unfortunately.  A lot of that is more our fault then theres.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

A lot of it is the result of people being busy in RL

Do you think this effects the RPP more than the JCP?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A lot of it is the result of people being busy in RL

Do you think this effects the RPP more than the JCP?

Yes, because they have a higher margin of error as a liberal party and a larger poll of voters to pick should 2 or 3 regulars miss the election.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

margin of error?

[Sbane]

margin of error?

The JCP can still win with a lower voter turnout, as we saw in this election, and probably the last one as well.

[Junkie]

The Populares and the RPP would call together special party conventions, and both would pass resolutions that would allow for a merger.

They could do this, or the Pop could join the RPP (or vice versa) in large individual groups (although that seems to be happening with members of the Pop joining the JCP).  My hope is that the Pop stay independent and libertarian and a force in Atlasia.

When I joined here, there was a vibrant discussion going on.  I actually was first told about this and I guess semi-recruited by a member of the Pop.  When I got here I considered all the parties.  I agreed with the JCP on many social issues, the RPP on economic/fiscal, the Pop on my philosophical issues, but I found what I believe to be the best fit in the moderate position of the DA. 

Since then the DA folded, and I again looked at all the parties, eventually resting with the Duke wing of the RPP (by the way I really love Yank's comment about a Rino preserve, which I assume I would be one).  Now, we have two main parties that are really, REALLY big tent parties.  I don't like it, as we are seeing elections that are becoming less about political discussion and more about turnout (much like RL). 

For that reason, I hope the Pop (or another libertarian party) becomes strong as a right alternative, that a left alternative develops, and that eventually a strong moderate forces its way into the spectrum.  So many alternatives would (hopefully) return this to an issue related election game.

[Cincinnatus]

Has the RPP taken any steps to integrate the remaining POP members?

From what I'm aware, efforts broke down after an issue occurred between a couple members of each party.  Of course, current and former POP members are more than welcome to join the RPP.  We are a tent party after all.  However, the problem has to deal more with our failure to campaign for those votes, than to try and integrate POP members into the party.  There's a line between successfully recruiting POP members, and ultimately alienating them to the point where we can't even get their votes.  Unfortunately there's no one to blame but our self's, and in the future I hope we can try to achieve some resemblance of a united right, be it in one party, or an alliance between multiple parties.

In the previous election alone, I failed to get several POP votes that would have otherwise gave me a win.  Considering I spent the entire election scrambling for votes, and ignored two voters like Dallasfan, and wormyguy, is no one's fault but my own.  Had I contacted dallasfan and campaigned for his vote, I have no doubt he would have at least considered me.  My hesitation to contact wormyguy after our interaction during the Presidential campaign was also a failure on my party.  Moving forward, I think we have to put emphasis on these voters, and make sure to contact them and gauge their feelings on our candidates.  Obviously we're not going to achieve any form of unity overnight, but like anything worthwhile, our party will have to work long and hard for the POP support.   

[Simfan34]

Goodbye, RPP. It's been a pleasure.