Office of Barnes - Private Citizen (Statement on the result of the elections)

[Barnes]

I have decided to throw my hat back into the political arena and launch a campaign for Governor of the Northeast this October.  I will be making my official campaign launch in Augusta, Maine, later this evening, but until then, feel free to try to the Hors d'oeuvres and ask any questions you might have.

I'm in this race to continue the progressive vision that defines our region and to ensure that our regional government remains verbose and active.  I hope to have your support.  

Campaign launch
On SawxDem's Candidacy
On the need for constitutional reform

[bore]

Endorsed. You've been an excellent CJO.

[TNF]

Endorsed.

[Barnes]

Campaign Launch Rally - Augusta, Maine

It's wonderful to be in this beautiful city again, and my new home - hello, Augusta!

I come here this evening to tell you why I have decided to put myself forward as a candidate for Governor, and to explain my vision for the Northeast.

I returned to Atlasian public life some three months ago after a long period of absence because I was convinced that there was still a part for me to play in our political discussion.  Since that time, I have served diligently and with great pride as Chief Judicial Officer.  Anyone who has any concerns about my commitment to service or levels of activity, I would refer them to my performance as CJO over the bast two months. 

When I accepted Governor Talleyrand's nomination in July, I promised him, and the Assembly, that I would remain in the position until at least the October elections - I have every intention of keeping that promise.  If at any point, there is a perceived conflict of interest between my campaign for Governor and my official duties as CJO, I will not hesitate to act in the best interests of the region and in the spirit of an impartial judiciary.

Governor Talleyrand has been an admirable governor and I consider him a personal friend.  I wish him the absolute best in his future endeavors and I hope he remains in public life for the benefit of our region.

I've made the theme of my campaign "a new dawn" because I firmly believe that such a transformation is taking place in our region: the present Assembly is composed of a diverse and dedicated group of legislators whose activity is beyond question, the political debates in our region are long and passionate, and in the face of a deluge of special elections and referendums, there is dedicated portion of the population who routinely turn out to vote.  Our democracy is healthy, and I will make it my personal mission to see that it remains so.

The Northeast is a region know for it's compassionate nature and fierce commitment to both personal liberty and communal harmony.  This progressive, independent, nature is one that I fully embrace, and is one that affects all politicians in our region.  I am a committed egalitarian and will fight tooth and nail for the members of our community who are the poorest, or oldest, or weakest, or least able to effect change on their own.  That's what government is about!  Taking radical and bold steps to achieve something for the whole community that individuals cannot achieve on their own.  I will never shy away from those beliefs, I can promise you that!

My administration will be one that works to protect our communities and preserve our personal liberties.  Over the next several days I will be unveiling my policy platform, but I can tell you this: the government that I lead will seek to be inclusive and not exclusionary, but I will not waive away from the core principles that I have outlined - I passionately believe in them, and I think that the large majority of Northeasterners do as well.

So, let us start this journey together, for an invigorated, dedicated, compassionate, and active government.  Let us start the journey for a new dawn for the Northeast!

Thank you!

The campaign theme fires up

[Dr. Cynic]

Endorsed

[Adam Griffin]

Glorious news!

[Flake]

Endorsed

[SWE]

Endorsed, obviously

[DemPGH]

 
I am a committed egalitarian and will fight tooth and nail for the members of our community who are the poorest, or oldest, or weakest, or least able to effect change on their own.  That's what government is about!  Taking radical and bold steps to achieve something for the whole community that individuals cannot achieve on their own.  I will never shy away from those beliefs, I can promise you that!

[Applause]

Endorsed, Barnes! Good luck.

[Barnes]

I will be making a speech on the need for constitutional reform in the region on Wednesday in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Until then, I will furnish those interested with a list of my previous political offices:

Northeast Lt Governor  (9 July 2009 to 23 December 2009)
Attorney General (8 March 2010 to 28 May 2010)
Mideast Assemblyman (23 July 2010 to 11 October 2010)
At-Large Senator (11 October 2010 to December 2010)
Secretary of Internal Affairs (7 July 2011 to August 2011)   
Northeast Assemblyman (1 October 2012 to 27 December 2012)
At-Large Senator (4 January 2013 to 5 February 2013)
Northeast Chief Judicial Officer (13 July 2014 to Present)

[Barnes]

It seems that I've acquired an opponent in the region. I welcome Assemblyman Sawx to the race with no sense of irony.

However, his reasons for announcing his campaign seem rather odd to me.  First, he says that I am dangerous for the region because of my support for bicameralism.  Of course I supported the plan, I never made any attempts to hide that, but as I have already stated, and have now been misquoted by Sawx, bicameralism is dead and will remain so.  The Governor will have no power to introduce bicameralism - if Sawx is so flagrantly opposed to such a plan, why doesn't he run for the Senate - the body that actually deals with constitutional amendments?

Secondly, I support the idea of regional consolidation in principle, and only as a last resort to shock activity into the crumbling structure of the current regions.  The Northeast has seen a very encouraging upswing in activity, and as I have stated very clearly, I will make it the goal of my term in office to ensure that such activity continues.  Along with this, Sawx seems to have some strange delusion that the Governor can simply impose this plan onto the region.  That's obviously incorrect, and reeks of fear-mongering.  The people of this region would vote on any consolidation plan - and it is up to the people, and the people alone, to decide whether or not to adopt it.  I am responsible for my own vote in such a circumstance, or would Sawx have me vote against my beliefs?  Is it not the duty of politicians to clearly state what that believe and have the courage to follow their convictions?

Regardless, my vote is equal with every other citizen of the region, and it's an absolute folly to imply that I would not respect the democratic result of such a vote.  Such a suggestion would be dangerous if it weren't so laughable.

These two positions, both of which have been reported in error, seem to encapsulate all of Sawx's campaign.  He doesn't seem to have any position on continuing the progressive form and style of government that the Northeast is known for, instead he seems content in spreading misconceptions about hypothetical constitutional debates that are not currently occurring nor seem likely to occur in the near future.

The choice then is clear, I am the candidate with a comprehensive, clear, and compassionate plan for every major issue our region faces.  I am not running on scare tactics or mis-truths and I will address all of the issues.

[LeBron]

You do a great job keeping up with all elections and would likely do a great job keeping the NE Assembly in check. Endorsed!

[free my dawg]

This proposal is obviously dead, and anything in a similar vein would likely suffer a similar fate.  Personally, I think that's rather sad, but that's just how the cookie crumbled.

[Barnes]

This proposal is obviously dead, and anything in a similar vein would likely suffer a similar fate.  Personally, I think that's rather sad, but that's just how the cookie crumbled.

Uhh... Once again I think you're confused. Please try and explain what you're saying.

[free my dawg]

I think you said it better than I ever could.

[Barnes]

I think you said it better than I ever could.

Ok, then...
It seems you have no interest at this time in presenting your own proposals for any of the issues facing the region, so I'll go back to presenting the voters my policies.

[Barnes]

Speech in Manchester, New Hampshire - September 17, 2014

Fellow Citizens,

It's an honor and privilege to address you in this beautiful city!  I come before you today to speak about a single issue: the need to constitutional reform in our region.

I don't speak of the hot-button, illusory issues of bicameralism and consolidation.  I have made my position on both of those issues publicly clear; furthermore, the issue of bicameralism is defunct, it has obviously not been supported by a majority of voters, and will obviously not be pursued any further.  Consolidation is not currently in the works anywhere around the nation, and doesn't appear like it will be anytime soon.

I am interested in addressing the real issues that are facing our region now - not some hypothetical problem that may exist at some undetermined time in the future.   

The issues relating to constitutional reform that are currently facing our region are these: a unwieldy constitution in desperate need of reform and cycle of special elections that seem to never have an end.

To begin, when I look at our region's constitution, I see a garbled mass of confused language and provisions.  As governor, I will lead the charge to create a constitutional convention so that we may have a more streamlined, and more manageable document.  Let me make this clear, I will pursue no great change in our regional government, or make any attempt to change the nature of the Northeast.  The purpose of adopting a new constitution is merely to take the great traditions of our region and enshrine them in a more perfect document that can better serve and protect our citizens.

Upon assuming office, I will hold a conference with the newly inaugurated Assembly and determine the best way to consult with the region over this issue.  It is my goal to achieve a broad consensus across the region in order to present a constitution that can be easily approved and be acceptable to the vast majority of the region. 

There is no great political capital to be gained from doing this task.  I am not doing it for such reasons, I am doing it because it is the right thing to do for our region. 

I move now to the other problem which I think is facing our democratic institutions: the excruciating amount of special elections held for our Assembly.  The Assembly is currently debating a bill that would address the issue.  As it stands, the bill would replace special elections to fill vacancies with permanent gubernatorial appointment.  I have deep reservations about the executive being able to choose the members of the legislature. 

If the bill as it now stands becomes law, I will propose the following amendments to it upon becoming governor: special elections for any vacancy will take place if they occur during the first half of an assembly session.  However, it such a vacancy occurs within a month of the next election, the governor shall make a permanent appointment to fill the seat.  In all cases of appointment, the governor shall choose a person who occupies the same party that was originally elected to the seat at the last election.

In the interregnum between my taking office and the adoption of these amendments, I will commit myself to appointing persons who are members of the party elected to those seats.

I am a passionate believer in democracy, and while I understand and fiercely believe in the need for an active assembly, I simply do not think the executive should have free rein in choosing its members.

I thank you very much for your time - onwards to victory!

[Barnes]

I will be giving a speech in Boston, Massachusetts, in the coming days on the need for housing reform and combating the cost of living crisis.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

We go way back, dear Barnes, dare I say back to the old JCP/RPP days, where men were men and the Update was still in its infancy.

Because of that, I am offering you my endorsement and my support if I was in the Northeast, which I am not, because I love my bourbon on the rocks and my tea sweetened. And yes, I love Bojangles cajun filet biscuits.

So good luck, run an active campaign and be a good governor. I know you can do it. Make us all proud!

[Maxwell]

#loveyoubarnes

[Barnes]

The show of support from you all leaves me quite thrilled and invigorated to go ahead with the campaign, thank you all for your support!

[Dr. Cynic]

You've got my full backing. I know you'll be a terrific Governor.

[Barnes]

It seems that Sawx is unable to understand what I have stated on numerous occasions; personally, I do not believe that the voters of the Northeast are particularly swayed by Sawx's rambling response to the issues that I've raised.  However, for the sake of making this discussion actually understandable, I'll address his claims now.

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.

I've never encountered someone who apparently can't understand that someone who supports something can be disappointed when it is not achieved.  I supported bicameralism because I thought it would be interesting to have a second chamber.  For the nth time, bicameralism was not approved by Atlasia, so it will not happen.  Not now, not ever.  How and why the hell could/would I try to reinstate something that

1) I have no authority to do so; and
2) There is obviously not support for so doing so would be a waste of time and effort

Seriously, why is this continuing to be an issue?  Can Sawx actually explain that to me?  Bicameralism is dead, dead and buried.  I do not in any way support reintroducing it.  Why is that so hard to understand?

The answer is that it isn't difficult at all to understand, but Sawx simply wants to find something to talk about.

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Ok, this is just a joke.  Mark my words: I absolutely oppose, and have always opposed, removing the ability of the people of a region to vote on a constitutional amendment.  Where on earth have I ever said otherwise?  I've been in charge of over half a dozen voting booths in the region, for God's sake.  I enthusiastically support democracy and have made it clear that I regard Atlasia as an election game.  Why in the hell would I support reducing elections, then?  I mean, this is just ludicrous.

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How can holding a constitutional convention, which, by definition, will consist of delegates elected by the people, be an attempt to circumvent the people of the region?  If you don't think there are serious issues with the form and layout of the constitution, then you've obviously never read it.  It's confusing, conflicted, and extremely convoluted.  As I have clearly outlined, but will restate once again, I will not attempt any change to the present constitutional arrangement that we have.  I simply will not.

I want to have a new constitution so that it can actually be understood clearly and concisely.  It's as simple as that: I want to protect the rights of the people by enshrining their rights clearly in a document that cannot be misunderstood and ignored.

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It's interesting to note that I said I would discuss this issue yesterday, and today you suddenly have an opinion...

Anyway, I don't think there's anyone here who thinks we shouldn't provide access to higher education to veterans, which, by the way, already exists, so I don't know how active you'll be on that issue.

I want to dramatically tackle the cost of living crisis as well as introducing justice and fairness into rental agreements by making public housing fairer and more compassionate.

I will abolish current public housing laws that force evictions on entire families for crimes committed by one member of that family in an area away from their home and not connected to the rest of a family.  For example, as it stands now in the City of New York, an entire family can be evicted from public housing for a crime committed by one member of that family who had no link or connection to the rest of the family.  This is inherently unfair, and I will abolish it.

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Ok, I have no idea where this is coming from.  I started this campaign with a clear statement on my reasons for joining the race, why I thought I would be the best choice for governor, my extensive experience in public office, my political beliefs, and my plan to address the issues facing the region. 

Now, when Sawx entered the race he immediately began a diatribe on me and my character.  I in no way began this race negatively, he did.  I made a strong response because I felt the need to counteract the negatives presented by Sawx. 

I want to lead a positive campaign based on the real issues and problems.  For days, the only things that Sawx has spoken about are misstruths about me and my positions. 

Sawx, can you please, please, focus on the actual, relevant, real issues in this election?  Bicameralism is dead, I will not be talking about it.  Any plan of regional consolidation is not going to happen, and I will not be talking about it. 

I want to talk about maintaining activity, clarifying our constitution, address the cost of living crisis, remove draconian public housing laws, address the major reforms to the federal healthcare program and shape the Northeast's plan within that program, address the issues of the Atlasian-Canadian Common Market Agreement acing the Northeast, deal with the Northeast diaspora living in Canada, maintain our low levels of unemployment, and work collaboratively with the other regional executives through CARE to ensure that the regions are actively participating in the federal-regional arrangement so that the two can more effectively correlate with one another.

I thank you.

[Barnes]

Just checking in here.  I'm swamped at school just ATM, so I might not be up to full campaign activities until the weekend.

[Barnes]

The past several days have seen this race collapse into a less than civil shouting-match that has achieved nothing, and made me cringe when I was catching up with all of it.  An important aspect of this game is a healthy competitiveness, but really, what are people actually arguing about right now?  The answer is very little.  I will not allow my own campaign to go down this road.  I have said this again and again, I want to have a civil debate and discussion about relevant issues in such a way so that people will be more inclined to participate, not the reverse, which is what I fear is happening now.

I must let you all know: I am not interested in playing some petty, underhanded, childish game that amounts to nothing.  I want to have fun and actually enjoy this race, and enjoy this game!  Atlasia shouldn't be some terrible burden that we all have to deal with and demean one another, for God's sake, we're here to have a good time!

This is what I will do, I sincerely hope others will follow in a similar way.