The People's Seat: Matt from VT for Northeast Senator

[Sopranos Republican]

If I lose, Matt, I hope you win!

Now if that isn't a ringing endorsement, I dunno what is.

Same to you my good man! I intend to give you a ringing 2nd preference when I finally can arrive safely at the ballot.

Let's have a fun race. You'll likely have my third.

Thank you, and the same to you.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I knew you sliding leftward, but I must say you present PM score is rather eye popping.


I will strive to make you my third preference man.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I knew you sliding leftward, but I must say you present PM score is rather eye popping.


I will strive to make you my third preference man.

After myself and Spiral of course.

[Sopranos Republican]

I knew you sliding leftward, but I must say you present PM score is rather eye popping.


I will strive to make you my third preference man.

Thank you king Yankee! I hope to get to work with you yet again.

[Sopranos Republican]

The great beacon of Liberty, Forever watching over The People

Friends, enraged former lovers, those who are sick of me, the time has come for yet another campaign of The People. My goal is to bring fresh ideas to a Senate that is in desperate need of some fresh blood. I will be posting more information later tonight, but for now, please allow me to invite you all to support this campaign.

Matty

[free my dawg]

Glorious news. I'm sure you will be a great Senator, and of course you have my endorsement.

[Enderman]

Endorsed, as always

[Talleyrand]

What would you offer that Bore doesn't? And how do you think you could be a better Senator than he has been?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Endorsed obviously

[bore]

I'd like to welcome Matt to the race in what will be our fourth contest against each other.

Would you be interested in holding a debate?

[rpryor03]

Endorsed.

[Sopranos Republican]

I'd like to welcome Matt to the race in what will be our fourth contest against each other.

Would you be interested in holding a debate?

Sounds like an excellent idea, my good man!

What would you offer that Bore doesn't? And how do you think you could be a better Senator than he has been?

While I think Bore is a great guy, and not a bad Senator, politics in Nyman need a change. Not to be cliche, but I feel as if things in the senate and other bodies have gotten far too partisan to possibly be for the betterment of The People, and Atlasia. While it is no secret that I am left-wing, I will not ignore positive legislation from either side of the spectrum. I believe we need an independent voice now more than ever, and this is something I always have been and always will be. This isn't to say that Mr. Bore is a hack, but I do believe anything that makes the Senate, and Atlasia as a whole less partisan will be for the best.

Endorsed.

Thank you very much, my good man! A gift basket of various chowders will be sent to your residence!

[Maxwell]

You get my endorsement, duh.

[Simfan34]

Endorsed.

[Talleyrand]

So your whole campaign is based around the fact that you'd somehow be less partisan than Bore, even though it seems like the only reason you're running is partisanship? How exactly would you do this- when you yourself acknowledge that Bore is not a hack?

Is there anything specific you'd have done or would do differently if you were in Bore's place? And what are some of these new ideas that you have? Why not propose them in the Assembly for a start?

[Maxwell]

In what areas do you disagree with Senator Bore? I'm not quite as updated on your ideological change. Would you've voted for the energy nationalization bill?

[Adam Griffin]

It's a shame that some have offered concern on the lack of consistency in this campaign in agreement with Talleyrand, only to delete their responses moments later. I wonder what's going on there?

[Simfan34]

Endorsed, obviously.

[Talleyrand]

Endorsed, obviously.

Endorsed.

Not sure why this has to be done twice.

My other question is posed towards those supporting Matt over Bore. What legitimate reasons do you justify with other that personal friendship with Matt?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

Endorsed, obviously.

Endorsed.

Not sure why this has to be done twice.

My other question is posed towards those supporting Matt over Bore. What legitimate reasons do you justify with other that personal friendship with Matt?

I like Senator Bore and have proudly supported him in the past.  I consider both Senator Bore and Lieutenant Governor Matt forum friends.  But I agree one shouldn't use friendship as their sole criteria when casting their vote (although let's be honest, we all have included it in the equation at some point or another during our time in Atlasia).  Fortunately, LG Matt has a great deal to offer in addition to being an excellent friend who would never throw someone under the bus for political gain.  For starters, LG Matt was an absolutely exceptional Senator when he previously served in that distinguished body (take his Prison Reform proposal, whether you agree or disagree with the bill from a policy standpoint, surely we can all agree that it is exactly the type of comprehensive and carefully-crafted bill that every Senator should strive to produce). 

Furthermore, LG Matt has proven time and time again that he has a rare talent for bringing together Atlasians from all over the political spectrum by cutting through the usual partisan bickering and giving The People the type of political discourse they deserve: One rooted in informed debate and ideas where a man can carefully consider what each side has to offer and then decide who has offered the best vision for a prosperous Atlasia without having to sift through an endless barrage of name-calling and vicious smears.  I'd never accuse Senator Bore of dabbling in such unsavory tactics, but I do believe LG Matt would be an even more effective advocate for the sort of political discourse that The People expect.  Senator Bore has not been changed by Nyman and I imagine I am far from the only Northeasterner who appreciates that.  However, I know that not only will LG Matt never let Nyman change him, he will change Nyman for the better if elected.  My vote will not be a vote against Senator Bore, it will be a vote for Lieutenant Governor Matt, The People's man!

Lastly, I'd like to ask Governor Talleyrand what is so bad about making friendship *one* of the criteria for one's vote in a race with two great candidates, neither of whom are so extreme as to be completely unacceptable (ideologically speaking)?  Can you really say that you've never decided to go with the person you were better friends with in a race where you were undecided between two or more good candidates when neither was ideologically unacceptable?  I can only speak for myself and friendship is certainly never the primary factor in deciding my vote, but in situations where all other things are more or less equal, I tend to go with the person I'm better friends with.  What is wrong with doing so if one only does it in circumstances like I described?  And for that matter, is it really that much worse than only voting for someone because they are a member of your party?  While neither is ideal for obvious reasons, I'd argue blindly voting the party line in all races without question is a good deal worse than sometimes using friendship as a tie-breaker of sorts in a race with two or more fine candidates.'

[Maxwell]

Endorsed, obviously.

Endorsed.

Not sure why this has to be done twice.

My other question is posed towards those supporting Matt over Bore. What legitimate reasons do you justify with other that personal friendship with Matt?

Bore, in spite of occasional flashes of independence, is nothing if not a loyal warrior for the Labor agenda. Matt is increasingly similar to the Labor ideology sadly, but I think he would definitely lean more toward the center and pragmatic if he were elected to the Senate. My hope is, at least, Matt sees the folly in many of the ideas that have been recently pushed on some confused idea of a mandate. 

[bore]

Endorsed, obviously.

Endorsed.

Not sure why this has to be done twice.

My other question is posed towards those supporting Matt over Bore. What legitimate reasons do you justify with other that personal friendship with Matt?

Bore, in spite of occasional flashes of independence, is nothing if not a loyal warrior for the Labor agenda. Matt is increasingly similar to the Labor ideology sadly, but I think he would definitely lean more toward the center and pragmatic if he were elected to the Senate. My hope is, at least, Matt sees the folly in many of the ideas that have been recently pushed on some confused idea of a mandate.  

I'm almost positive that I am, on any number of issues, to matt's right.

Also I resent the implication that I'm a loyal follower of the "labor agenda" (whatever the hell that means, I assume TNF). It's just not born out by the facts. I'm proud to be in the same party as TNF but I almost certainly vote more often with lumine than him.

For instance, I voted against my party to confirm torie to the supreme court and simfan to be gm. In the senate at the moment I've done a large amount of work on a bill reforming public sector strike law, a move bitterly opposed by tnf. At one point during the furore over energy adam described me as being like a 6th right winger. I joined with cync against close friends in the party like SWE and nix and talleyrand and tnf by opposing the group marriage law. I was the deciding vote against the nationalisation of power and transport just a few months ago. I supported president duke's rewrite of the public means public act, against griffin and tnf.

And, seriously, I could go on for paragraphs in a similar vein.

[Cassius]

Unless a suitably right-wing candidate emerges, I'm endorsing Bore (should he choose to run for re-election).

[Talleyrand]

Neither the candidate nor Maxwell or X have given ANY specific examples to support their claims.

Responding to X's wall of text, which could be condensed to three or four sentences, your whole basis for Matt's supposed exceptionalism is one bill which he proposed in the Senate back in April 2013, and which passed after he left office in a heavily edited manner. Doesn't cut the extraodinary claims you're making.

You continuously refer to your admiration of Senator Bore, but you fail to give any reason why Matt is better besides "he'd cut through the partisanship in Nyman to get things done!!!111", and you don't even justify that. You can't make an argument with vague platitudes, and Bore has given many good, specific examples of why he'd be the superior Senator already, which contrasts heavily with what this campaign seems to be all about.

Of course I don't have a problem with people voting based on friendship or partisanship; I wouldn't hesitate to give those as reasons I'm supporting Bore, but they're far down the list. Bore has been a conscientious and consistently hard worker in the Senator for a year and a half now, a time period in which Matt has had an extremely inconsistent record of activity and almost no accomplishments to his name. In the last month alone, he has contributed exactly one sentence to Assembly debate. Any "serious" player of this game would not even consider voting for him based on that alone.

[sentinel]

Matt, I think you should consider running for Governor.