The Crusader (An Interview with Scott)

[GM Team Member and Senator WB]

I like how 3 people didn't bother adhering to the "one word" rule of that question.

[Lumine]

The Road to June 2018:

Part One: The Open Election

Electoral season enters the realm of heavy speculation as the April midterms approach, and very much unlike the past election the current presidential contest has started very early as several would-be challengers to the White House are already preparing their own bids, securing support and potentially, making efforts to remove potential rivals from the thought to be intense competition. As a public service, The Crusader is at the moment considering extensive, constant coverage on this race from its beginnings all the way into Election Day, hoping to provide coverage on significant events, potential leaks and anonymous information, speculation on what is to follow, interviews with candidates and relevant figures in the contest, and perhaps even debates.

This is The Road to June 2018.

The title of our first update is, of course "Open Election". Over the past year the June, October and February Elections have all been limited somewhat by the presence of an incumbent in the race (DFW and Fhtagn), placing attention on challengers to the sitting President which, for separate reasons, did not overthrow the ruling party despite spirited battles waged by NeverAgain, Clyde, Lumine, Truman, Pericles, Spiral and others to reach the White House. This election is therefore significant in the sense that for the first time since February 2017 it does not feature an incumbent seeking reelection, as President Fhtagn has once again asserted that she is not running for President in June.

Some early challenges, such as significant speculation on several PUP officeholders and of course the brief contemplation of former Senator TSA, have been ruled out on different grounds. Already several potential candidates have announced lately that will not seek the Presidency (denials we are inclined to believe), and the list of non-candidates include, crucially: Senator Pericles, staunch critic of the President and the former PUP nominee; Representative wxtransit, rising star in the Alliance; Representative weatherboy, who had expressed his interest before a defeat against Mr. Reactionary for a Senate seat; Senator Haslam, who appears dedicated to moving to regional politics for now; Mike Wells, who noted he had been approached before refusing; and Siren, whose deregistration removes the likely Peace nominee from the equation.

So who could be running, or look like a plausible candidate this election cycle?

When it comes to competitive primaries, all eyes appear to be set in the Federalist Party as an invisible (or not so invisible) race to become the heir to the President has started early. For the first time in months (perhaps years) the Federalist Party can finally boast of a large, competitive field of potential standard bearers which may be dependant on some aspects on what decision is taken by Vice-President PiT. Part of the Federalist Old Guard, PiT can boast of good approval ratings and of a good, responsible reputation even amongst his enemies, but whether he is actually inspiring enough for the famously unruly Federalist base remains to be seen. The other most likely "loyalist" candidate would obviously be Sec. of State Mr. Reactionary, considered to be about as loyal to the President as humanly possible and who would boast an interest number of strength's as a candidate. The main question, of course, would be whether his views would allow him to win a Presidential Election under the current electorate.

It does not stop there, of course. Senator LouisvilleThunder is seen as having quite a following and a more populist mold than other Federalist candidates, and may be rather competitive in a primary. And, as a longshot, some would suggest Delegate TheSaint to be among those dreaming of the White House, having already delivered a number of speeches suspiciously tailored to appeal to the Federalist base which would suggest his potential interest despite his relative lack of experience. Details remain contradictory at this early stage, but some digging by The Crusader leads us to believe at least two possible candidates have started making their own moves to be eventually nominated by their party for yet another Federalist term.

Cemented as the main party of the left following the February Election, the Progressive Union could boast as of early March of having a deep bench much like the Federalists, and yet the field has cleared in a rather speedy manner. One by one candidates such as Mike Wells, TSA, Pericles and weatherboy have ruled themselves out, and Senator Pericles very unsubtly gave away the secret to the PUP nomination by stating "I can confirm that a major PUPer, who has run in a presidential election in the last year, will announce their run for the presidency. No further comment on that person's identity." Accounting for those standards, it would be awfully obvious either former President Truman or former President DFW will be announced as the PUP nominee, their party expected to fall in line accounting for the clout and electoral potential of either men.

This leaves, of course, the smaller parties in Alliance, Labor and Peace, plus potential independents eyeing a run for the White House. In the Alliance, wxtransit's announcement that he would not be a candidate, and the latest RL issues regarding DFL would take away two of the likely candidates, and the list narrows even further when Senator Not_Madigan has expressed his intention to run as Vice-President with an *unknown* presidential candidate yet to announce. This, of course, leaves only past nominees Lumine and Spiral, neither of which appears likely to run for President in this cycle. The Peace Party lost what could have been a highly competitive candidate in Siren, leading us to conclude that, should the highly popular Peebs not run for President, the party will be likely stuck with a symbolic candidacy if a candidate emerges at all. On the independent side there are no clear options at the moment, although there has been some limited speculation that Winfield might attempt another presidential run.

As we can see, already at the dawn of April the field has narrowed significantly unless some unexpected surprises show up (and we should remember February 2017 was certainly an election of such surprises), and the maneuvering behind closed doors is very much a reality. Who will announce or rule him/herself out next?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

One quick note about denials, most candidates typically aren't running until they are.

[Lumine]

One quick note about denials, most candidates typically aren't running until they are.

True, and if this were real life I would certainly not believe the "I'm not running" statements. However, at the moment I don't have that much reason to not believe those since it's not like Atlasians are being asked in public all the way if they will run or not, so there is no clear incentive to stating you're not running without being asked.

It may change, particularly about the midterms, but I will treat public denials as true for the time being just for fun.

[_]

Well this assumed very wrong on the Alliance part

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

For the sake of absolute clarity, and as I have told others in private, I will not be a candidate for president or vice president in June. Though the possibility was considered with some seriousness a few weeks ago, I at present have no desire to return to elected office.

[Lumine]

Labor revival?

Windjammer remains Laborite after merge vote

[Lumine]

Atlasia mourns Labor Party:

Thousands go to the streets to express their feelings

[Lumine]

Some friendly advice from The Crusader on this Midterm Election:

Don't give corruption a free pass,

Make Nyman a better place.

[Lumine]

A Interview with Scott:

Lumine and Scott discuss Fremont politics and personal legacy

Lumine: Welcome to The Crusader, Scott, I'm really glad to have you here for this interview.

Scott: Great to be with you, Mr. PPT.

Lumine: So, first things first, what do you make of the current results in Fremont?

Scott: Well, we still have another day of voting to get through.  But right now, I think we have a great shot at getting both Centre candidates (i.e. me and Goldwater) elected to the new Parliament, and I'm pretty confident in our chances.

Lumine: The concept of the Centre Party certainly seems to have caused some impact in the national and regional debate, even attracting figures such as Goldwater. What would you say is the appeal and biggest strength of Centre?

Scott: First, I should give you a little backstory: when I decided to create Centre, I wanted to use the new party to break the partisan paradigm that currently exists federally and regionally in our politics.  People are very accustomed to having a generic left-wing party, a generic right-wing party, and then the occasional centrist party - which tends to get a bad rap as a loose coalition of 'elite Atlasians' who don't stand for anything other than getting each other elected.

With Centre, we offer the people something very different: as an agrarian party, we're raising attention to issues that other parties gloss over or underemphasize - namely, the wellbeing of rural Atlasians and Fremontians, and the preservation of our lands and way of life.  But Fremont is also a very diverse region, which is why we favor localized decision-making and community organizing.  That way, rural and urban Fremontians will be able to govern themselves according to their shared interests.

But first, we need a government that represents all Fremontians and we need an environment that's good for cultivation and industry.  And I think that's something that most people can agree on.

Lumine: And in the opposite sense, what would be its biggest weakness?

Scott: As things stand now, definitely our registration numbers.  Currently, Goldwater and myself are the only ones registered within our party!  But this election is a great first test for the party and we look forward to expanding our appeal in the new Parliament.

Lumine: There's always multiple narratives that can emerge from a single election, but we haven't heard that much commentary on the recent Midterms. What is your take from the results and the campaign process?

Scott: Well, I think the people spoke loud and clear in the last elections, particularly with the unseating of the two scandal-embroiled senators from Fremont and Lincoln.  I think it shows that ethics matters in these elections, and that goes beyond partisan labels.

Lumine: Scott, it wouldn't be unfair to say you've had a long and distinguished career in Atlasia, so let me ask you this: what has been your proudest moment as a public servant? And which has been the worst?

Scott: I was really proud to have had an instrumental role in the drafting of the RRPHA, particularly the creation of AtlasCare.  The process of negotiating and writing the legislation itself took months, but in the end we were able to pass something that everyone was proud of.  But many people including Speaker Yankee, then-Senator PiT, President Dfw, and numerous others deserve a great deal of credit for that, as well.

My worst moment was definitely having to resign as then-IDS Emperor in the fall of 2014 which coincided with my leave from the site. That happened because the forum was going through a particularly toxic phase at that point and people were being driven away from the game left and right.  I like to think most - most - of us who were involved at the time have since matured and moved on.

Lumine: One of the most fascinating events of the past few months has been the gradual shift of the party system into a more diverse one, although some would suggest another era of two big parties may be on the making with the controversial Labor-PUP merge. What do you make of it?

Scott: As a Peace Party member, I would say we're nowhere near the point of becoming a two-party system again.  I hope that remains the case for years to come.  Although I, like many former and current Laborites, deeply lamented the dissolution of such a distinguished institution in Atlasian politics.

Lumine: Of course your interest seems to be geared towards regional politics at the moment, and particularly the regional legislature. But I'm bound to ask, what do you think your future in Atlasia looks like at this point?

Scott: No clue. I made a return to local politics in Atlasia because I hadn't been involved in them since 2014.  Right now, my focus is getting our new party representation in Parliament so that we can pursue our agenda legislatively.  After that, I'll look toward what's ahead.

Thanks so much for having me, Mr. PPT.  This interview has been a great pleasure.

Lumine: Thanks to you, Scott, it's been a pleasure to interview you.