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

[Oakvale]

When can we get a final vote?

Seconded. I'm afraid there's not really much more we can do here.

[sentinel]

Peanut Gallery: I think you guys should vote to confirm Adam Griffin. Its obvious the votes are there to reject him which is why you should confirm him.

1) You know where his potential bias would come from.
2) You have the votes to remove him at any time.
3) Because he is Chairman of Labor & b/c of this thread he's more likely to over-correct in order to be fair.
4) His ability to do the job seems fairly unanimous.

[CLARENCE 2015!]

One last post before I hit the beaches...

I find the criticism of Adam Griffin to be legitimate and genuine- but there is one point that nags at me... When is the last time any of us gave any thought to the business the GM posted when deciding our votes? I can answer that question for me personally... NEVER

Howver, assuming there are folks who do.... Adam is a person who has been very professional in every dealing I've had with him and I believe he would not be biased. If he were, I'm sure that many of you would notice and take appropriate action.

For the record- I do not condone the kind of talk coming from the President in this hearing...accusing political opponents of having ulterior motives is an old trick and one we see in Washington all the time... it is one of the main reasons I am now a Democrat, because I was sick of Republicans assuming our President had ill will towards this country

But I had to come here to stick up for my pal Griffin who I believe would do a fine job

clarence

[Dereich]

Agreeing with Clarence and Sirnick above me, AdamGriffin may be a hideous Laborite who wants to destroy all that is holy in the IDS but he's shown a willingness to put effort into Atlasia more than some of you senators and should definitely be confirmed. Sure, that he won't resign as chair of Labor is a bad thing, but since that's the situation we're stuck with the senate needs to decide whether its enough to count against the sterling job that everyone acknowledges he'd do. Yankee already went through this train of thought earlier and decided Griffin was worth the risk, I think all senators should do the same. That and Marokai's pledge to sack him the moment he does a non-partisan job should make the benefits of confirming him overcome the doubts.

Although after the rancor and useless bickering of this thread I doubt any senator is willing to change his mind anymore, please just give it one last thought; its worth the risk of partisanship to have a hard worker like AdamGriffin as GM.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The way a vote works in these things is simple. Everyone shuts up for 24 hours and the vote can be started or the 72 hour maximum expires without an extention (2:00 PM this afternoon). Whichever comes first, basically. Since there has been Senators talking in here about the nominee, the earliest is 2:00 PM that a vote can be started, by Duke.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

I want to echo the sentiments of both Deriech and Clarence.  I don't see any reason why this should stop us from voting for Griffin (who almost everyone agrees would do a great job).  I was skeptical of the arguments made for requiring a resignation or LOA, and I certainly don't think AG's refusal to agree to Senator Oakvale's proposal is a reason to vote against him when most of us agree he'd do a great job.  The People clearly support Mr. Griffin's confirmation and it is sad that a potentially great GM may be rejected over a mere title (and what is really changed if he takes an LOA).  I urge the potential nays to reconsider and vote for confirmation.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

No one who's called for Griffin to take a LOA is asking for him to just change things on paper to satisfy our consciences. We're asking him to step away from his leadership role. Obviously, that consists of much more than a title. Giving up his chairmanship in bad faith would not win my trust.

The idea that Adam Griffin is the only person in Atlasia who is both able and willing to do this job well is simply wrong. (And if it were true, I would vote to confirm.) If he is unwilling to put country before party, Marokai has several other viable candidates to consider.

I simply trust him to be a fair GM.  If you don't and also don't trust Marokai to fire him vote nay rather than asking for an LOA.  This about trust, not gestures I'd argue.  Just my two cents.

[Napoleon]

I simply trust him to be a fair GM.  If you don't and also don't trust Marokai to fire him vote nay rather than asking for an LOA.  This about trust, not gestures I'd argue.  Just my two cents.

That's the crux of my objection, though. I cannot trust Griffin - or anyone else, for that matter - to be a fair GM while also performing a leadership role in a political party. However, if he were not performing that role, I would trust him to be fair.

And to clarify- that role extends beyond a simple title.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

As a member of the party chaired by Griffin (and that party's only Senator), I implore AdamGriffin to take a leave of absence as chair of the Labor Party. Otherwise I doubt he can be confirmed.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Senators, 72 hours have passed. The time is now. Vote aye or nay on the nominee. You have 5 days.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

This obviously isn't the way I wanted things to turn out, but considering how things have gone,

Nay

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AYE

[Franzl]

AYE

[Oakvale]

I wish things had gone differently. I think Adam has the potential to be an excellent GM, but the intransigence on the Labor chairmanship leaves me with little choice. I hope I don't need to say this, but this is nothing personal.

Nay.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Aye

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Aye

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Nay

[Spamage]

Nay

[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.

[Southern 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.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

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.

[Adam 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.

[Ban my account ffs!]

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.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

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.

[Ban my account ffs!]

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.