Talk Elections

The rise of Atlasian journalism has been a heartening development. However, there is plenty of room in the market, and so I decided to start up The Atlasian Post. 1184AZ will be co-editor, and together, we will bring a new voice to Atlasian journalism. Our promise to our readers is that The Atlasian Post reports real news, not fake news. We promise to be fast, we promise to be accurate, and we promise to have some fun along the way. We will also have hard-hitting, informed opinion, providing a progressive perspective on Atlasian politics. This is the place to come to understand what's really going on in Atlasian politics. We have the inside information on Atlasia's politicians. The Atlasian Post will help you understand the important developments in Atlasian politics, as we head into an election where the only certainty is uncertainty.

Note on sourcing
We are open to using anonymous sources. If you have important information that you feel needs to be reported, feel free to message either AZ or myself. We won't judge you and we will respect your privacy. However, we will make sure that all sources we use are credible before publication, and so place high priority in ensuring our reporting is credible and truthful, so as to maintain and build trust with you-the reader. So, we will use anonymous sources but will be responsible in using them*.

Note on job applications
We would be very happy to have more people at The Atlasian Post, and so if you wish to apply to be part of our team, we will be open to and review your application. We are looking for a broad range of talents in our team. If in doubt, apply!

*Screenshots are better than word of mouth, as a pointer to how you can help us help you.

The June presidential election has already heated up. This race has been filled with unpredictable, unexpected twists, and it's not even May. This poll proves the point. North Carolina Yankee has the lead, having improved significantly on fhtagn's February performance, and having almost universal popularity. Yankee is clearly the favorite to win at this point. However Ninja0428 is doing respectably as well, also improving significantly on the first round performance of Pericles/Wells. Ninja0428, surprisingly, has the lowest favorability ratings, but many voters remain unsure about him, giving the political newcomer room to grow. The surprising casualty is the candidacy of Lumine, who gets a paltry 10.9% and loses around half of the Spiral/Griffin vote. This leaves the Alliance out in the cold, and would be a very disappointing result for them. Most respondents will never change their preferences, or are unlikely to do so. However, a total of 21.3% are either likely or virtually certain to change their preferences. Provided these respondents weren't giving joke answers, this leaves the 21% as the voters to watch this election, and shows the results aren't yet baked in. Meanwhile, Fremont's parliamentary elections have Pericles, Scott and Koopa as the strongest candidates, but candidates like Wallace, Devout Centrist and Goldwater may have cause for concern. To sum up, the two biggest takeaways from this poll are; Yankee is the favorite, and Ninja0428 has the best shot of stopping another Federalist win.

*Not everybody answered every question, presidential question received 46 responses
**VP choices were made while this poll was being conducted so impact of them remains unclear. In brackets is the swing, in this poll it is the change from the first round numbers of their party in February. In future polls it will be the change from the previous poll.
***Apologies for not including Tea Party Hater, and VPH entered too late.
****Correct me if he's actually an Independent.

I am very much intrigued by the Fremont race.

1. From a selfish point of view, the restoration of regional level parties was something that came out of my October 2016 campaign, originating as a suggestion from former Emperor JBrase, so I am pleased to see the various Regional level parties seeking dominate the discussion.


2. From a perspective of what is good for the game and the regions, I would love to see the regional level parties dominate politics at the regional level and Scott certainly has done great work with his Centre Party. I think that works towards the distinct culture that you were talking about the other night and at the same time builds competitiveness and interest at the regional level.


One of many things I do plan to discuss over the course of this campaign is how to facilitate and strengthen regional culture.

It would be an interesting development if regional parties gained greater prominence. However, currently I don't think they matter at all, and while Scott may be laying the seeds for such developments in future elections, this election won't really be about regional parties. If Scott does well it'll be because people like him as a person. People are going to vote for the candidate they like, regardless of party. I think Fremont is a region where the candidate matters a lot more than the party. Fremont just isn't a very partisan region.

Regional parties don't really mean too much to me when there's only a handful of players at the state wide level, and when most zombie voters don't give a sh**t about. I do agree that Fremont does not exactly appear partisan but then again the left is fractured in a weird way in my region, as 3 PUP members either did not run again or in your case, imploded and lost :P  and the Alliance has had a few things go its way recently, and well I've stuck with an indy label for a while now. Also worth noting the Feds have a much higher celling than some think around here IMO.

Does the South have a particularly strong history of regional parties?

I agree that people tend to vote for who they like, but I think Fremont's electorate has changed a bit over the past few months. A lot of left leaning voters have become disinterested or fallen off the rolls and some right leaning voters that weren't too interested for a while have gotten more engaged recently. I don't think I would have done as well as I did if I were running in the recent elections, but that could be my natural tendency to underestimate myself at work too.

Anyway, nowhere to go but up! (especially because I think I forgot to vote in the poll)  :-@

You didn't vote in it, but we did get a #SirenWouldHaveWon.

So like 79% of this poll are not swing voters.

I have.... doubts about this poll. 79% of people won't change their minds? I don't know if that's true.

I mean, don't most people vote on party lines? Is a 20% swing voter rate really that low?

Regional Protection Party was originally a regional party for the South - ended up becoming the primary center-right party of Atlasia in around 2008 and has been ever since (name change several years ago).

I meant post-reset.

Yes, both "regional level" and "regionally focused" national parties. Imperial Bloc was a national party, but existed only within the South.

The earliest the Federalist can trace its formal antecedents is late January 2012. But the influence of "regionalism" and the regionalist movement has been a powerful influence on the Federalists, considering a lot of the Whigs were basically people you had recruited into the RPP (Zuwo, TJ, Cathcon, JCL, etc) and most of the IB were people PiT had recruited as Emperor either during the time of the RPP or just after. Many of those people are gone now, and yet this remains as strong as ever (like 95% of the Feds want us to oppose centralization of power, higher than fiscal conservatism at 85%).

The right had disappeared prior to the formation of the RPP for almost a year. Ever since then there has been a right in Atlasia, and it has been largely dominated by a regionalist or pro-region mindset. Part of the reason behind that, is because it is easy to unify the disparate conservative factions around the notion of opposing central authority. Most every conservative, be they Libertarian, so-con, Populist, Trumpist even, can agree on one thing, DC should not be controlling your life.

We've got another June poll out, please make sure to vote in it. I hope we get lots of respondents, so please make sure to respond.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Hf-OOzf8JIlOmRLyTuMfO9bOCrgHEBq931KWzdRCixo

26 responses so far, thank you to those people. Please vote if you haven't already.

33 responses so far, I'll leave this open for another day or two probably, but please make sure to vote! So far, we've got some very interesting results, so stay tuned for them.

This poll will close at midnight.

In the presidential race, Lumine/Siren has surged to what is basically a 50-50 shot at second place. The Siren pick appears to have been the best received of vice-presidential picks, with Siren boasting a favorability rating of over 80%. The Lumine surge appears to have hurt Ninja0428 the most, but also shaved off some support from North Carolina Yankee. The Federalist ticket of North Carolina Yankee/dfwlibertylover retains a strong lead over both Ninja0428 and Lumine, and another Federalist term looks likely at this point in time.
President fhtagn is reasonably popular with the approval of a majority of Atlasians, according to this poll, but a plurality of respondents judged the country to be heading in the wrong direction. The latter finding does suggest there is a mood for change, but it remains to be seen whether Ninja0428, Lumine, or even DTC will exploit it.
In the Senate, incumbents Not Madigan and Mr Reactionary have leads in Lincoln and the South respectively, and both are heavy favorites for re-election at this time. In Fremont however, with an open seat a plurality would vote for a progressive candidate, which would mean the Alliance would lose one of their 2 seats in the Senate(and presuming no other changes, would result in a 2-2-2 Senate). However, this result is the least reliable, as no names were provided and due to Fremont having the fewest respondents. Fremont is heavily influenced by candidate quality, and it remains to be seen what kind of candidates will emerge in this important Senate race. This remains a very interesting race, and it seems probable that there will be more shocking twists in the days and weeks to come.

*In brackets is the swing from the previous poll.
**If 'myself' wants who they are to be included in this story, they can say so to me. I will assure readers that I did not cast that vote however.

It is always wise not to rely too much on the polls, but it is an encouraging trend. As Siren helpfully noted, nowhere to go but up!

So...


This is why it's best not to read too much into polls, as the change of mind of one person can alter the result drastically. :P

Lol. That's what happens in campaigns, people's minds change.

I will be conducting interviews in the near future with North Carolina Yankee, Lumine and Ninja0428, stay tuned!

lol

this was shoking.

First of all, I'd like to thank Old School Republican for conducting this interview with me. I've provided the interview below, and invite you to read it.

What drove you to run for House?
One of the things that drove me to run for the house is the fact that I believe the deficit Atlasia currently has is too high and it is the job of the legislature to start to get it under control.

Why do you think you should be elected to the House?
One Reason I believe I should be elected to the house is that I am committed to introducing legislation from day 1 that will help reduce our deficit and reform the regulatory process to make sure that proposed regulations that have more of a cost than benefit do not get implemented.

Atlasia currently has a $904 billion deficit. Do you believe reducing the deficit should be a top priority, and if so what steps would you take to reduce the deficit?
I believe that reducing the deficit should be a top priority because the 904 billion dollar deficit is unsustainable in the long run. Some immediate  steps I would take to reduce the deficit is introducing legislation that
-  Bans all pork barrel and earmark spending of any kind
- Auditing Departments which receive 50 billion dollars or more, so we can find  so we can find out how much taxpayer money is being wasted or spent inefficiently, and then use the audit to cut waste from the departments and spend taxpayer money more efficiently

Fremont has a Senate race with the presidential election. What are your thoughts on the Senate race, and what kind of person should Fremont elect to the Senate?
Currently, I am not yet sure of whom I will endorse for the Fremont Senate Race, as I am still waiting to see if any other candidates enter the race. Currently, I am hoping that more members of the Federalist party jump in the race as I believe they are the ones who are most likely help us fix issues such as the deficit, and regulatory reform.

What would be your top priorities if you are elected to the House?
The top priorities for me is reducing the deficit , regulatory reform, and tax reform. The legislation I would introduce to address these issues is
- Banning All Pork Barrell and Earmark Spending of any kind
- Audits Departments which receive 50 billion dollars or more, so we can find  so we can find out how much taxpayer money is being wasted or spent inefficiently.
- Using that audit to cut wasteful spending or make inefficient spending more efficient
- Requiring a cost-benefit analysis by a third party group for any new proposed regulations by the executive branch. If any regulation is deemed to have a larger cost than a benefit, the regulation should not go into effect unless it is approved by Congress.
- Having small buisnesses who employ 3 or more people pay taxes at the corporate rate instead of the income rate.

I believe these bills will help Atlasia reduce the deficit and grow the economy.
 
Follow up- What is your reply to concerns that tax reforms would increase the deficit even further?
The Tax Reform Bill I will introduce only applies to small businesses with 3 or more employees , and what it does is it will have  them pay taxes at the corporate rate instead of the income rate . This will make sure that small businesses get tax relief which will help them grow their buisness which in turn will create new jobs thus increase revenue that way . Also I will make sure in my Tax Reform bill to get rid of the carried interest loophole which should make up for any revenue loses due to the small business tax cut .

Game reform has been another important issue. Do you believe the game needs significant reform, and if so what kinds of policies would you support?
Currently, I dont think we need to make major reforms to the game, but I believe we do need to make it easier for people to know what the different party platforms are.

Follow up- Why do you believe that platforms are not visible enough as is, and can you detail in more detail how you'd like to solve this?
Well currently they only give the basic visions of the parties but don’t give the party views on the issues in details . I believe the game should add a new thread which has links to each parties views on the issues in detail .

There are many candidates, including multiple Federalists, running for the House. How do you believe your candidacy in particular can appeal to Federalist voters?
I believe my time in the Coolidge Society shows that I am committed to issues such as cutting wasteful spending, reducing taxes on small businesses, and passing regulatory reform, and committed to the belief that individual and not the federal government is what makes the nation great.

Thank you to Senator Lumine for doing this interview and answering the questions. I've provided my interview with Lumine below, and invite you to read it.

What drove you to run for President in this election?
Well, it's not a surprise to note that I've been disaffected with the present state of affairs in Atlasia since my return some nine months ago. That above all is a motivation to get up and do something about it rather than, say, snipe from the sidelines, and I believe the strong result for a fully independent ticket in October 2017 showed that there was significant support for the ideas I wanted to fight for, as well as a general interest in doing things in a different manner.

It wasn't my original intention to run on this election despite leaving the door open to it, but a month ago it was clear that the presidential field was rapidly dwindling and I was not satisfied with the alternatives. Having been asked by some friends whether I would reconsider, I felt it was worth the fight even if it meant leaving the Senate.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Atlasia? How would you address those challenges if you are elected President?
They are several, I'm afraid.

Some of them relate to policy of course, but at the moment I do believe the most dangerous ones apply to players and the way in which we conduct the game, which is why it is so baffling to see some people wanting to carry on with business as usual or close themselves to reforms. Essentially, you have an activity problem which hasn't been solved for a number of years, you have a system of government which has went on for fourteen years and could well use significant changes, you have a developing problem in terms of game ethics and some people wanting to ignore it, and lastly, you have an issue of a certain lack of realism on some policy fronts.

That is why my platform is in many ways built to address those particular challenges in some form (along with other policy-based ones that go from the environment to social mobility), opening itself to the necessity of reforms that help reinvigorate the game, promoting efforts to bring new people on board and encourage different ways to participate, taking a stand on ethics and propose some different standards, and in general terms address policy issues in a realistic manner rather than give in to the irresponsible or the unrealistic.

What is your opinion on President fhtagn's performance as President? In particular, can you name what you see as her biggest accomplishment, and one area in which you would have done something differently?
I think time has given me a different perspective on President fhtagn than the one I held some months ago, and working with her from the Senate has also brought interactions to a different level. Based on that I would say the President is ultimately a well-intentioned individual worthy of respect not only because of her office, but because of her person. However, I also believe it has not been a particularly transformative or relevant Administration despite being the longest-serving one, which is a curious thing. I think Atlasians generally like the President, but there's a reason why a majority of the people clearly believes we are going the wrong way.

Part of that unspiring situation could be the seemingly endless machinations by some elements within the Federalist Party or the political erosion from several terms in power, but I don't quite see a compelling, inspiring vision that motivates Atlasia. If you want me to name the biggest accomplishment I could certainly name the President's efforts in terms of the environment and animal rights as laudable, and I wholeheartedly agree with her concern on those areas. If the question is what I would have done differently I could name several points, but to avoid extending myself too much I would note that I would have not closed myself to political reform like the White House did, I would have handled the situation in Korea in a far more different manner, and I certainly would have engaged more with the public both of terms of what my Administration would be doing and what my vision would be.

What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment in your political career, so far? If you can't name one, then top 3 would be fine.
Looking back and with the perspective years have given me I would note by biggest accomplishment was restoring a sense of normalcy in Atlasia when I was President.

Lest we forget, the nation was emerging from a Civil Conflict in which a President had resigned and another banned, and it was not easy to both restore the rule of law and preside over the nation at a time in which passions ran very high. It was very costly in emotional terms because the attacks levelled at myself were very personal and spiteful in nature, but when I look back at that time I feel I have reason to be proud. It was the last constantly active administration for a while before mass-stagnation set in, brilliant Atlasians like Zuwo, Dr. Cynic, Kalwejt, Rpryor and others shined as stellar cabinet members, and we had a very active foreign policy in place.

Honorary mentions go to helping lift the old Midwest region out of inactivity with the help of Maxwell and Windjammer, shaking up political debate on at least two different presidential campaigns (even if I lost them), helping make the Constitutional Convention a reality and working with the Senate to pass a historic healthcare law some years ago.

What do you consider as your biggest strengths for being President, and some potential weaknesses?
Well, I've already been there, and served for a full term even amidst great hardship. Experience isn't everything, but it is never a good idea to have a President who isn't somewhat prepared to take office and I think I can both build on what we did right back then as well as learn from the many mistakes we also made. To that we can add that I'm helped both by a fantastic running mate and a great team of friends. If the question is related to personality and style, I would argue that it is a benefit not only to be consistently active on most of the offices I've held, but to also be communicative with the people to reach out to them and explain the reasoning behind what I do.

As to weaknesses, I would probably argue there's two that have given me some thought: the first is of course that (like most) I can have a bit of a temper even if time has taught me some patience. The second is that I haven't been on a particularly nice situation in RL for a given number of months, and that does have an effect on one's personality and ability to stay rested. Things have been improving lately and I'm grateful for it, but I can also recognize it can be a drawback.

Furthermore, what qualities would you bring to the presidency that your opponents lack?
I respect Ninja and Yankee on personal terms and find them to be likeable individuals, but I also believe I would make a better President during these times and that the vision I'm trying to promote is one better suited to avoid a presidency that is just managed decline or doing things as usual following the old model of politics. This not only because I'm the only candidate to have served a full term as President, but because I sense one ticket doesn't offer much beyond what we've already seen for well over sixteen months (which to me is rather dull and uninspiring) and the other may not be entirely sure of what it wants to do, and you need to be prepared when entering the White House.

That is essentially why I'm very much committed to this campaign even at the cost of having to leaving office if I lose, because I believe that if Atlasians elect a Lumine/Siren Administration they will have a competent, dynamic team ready to work from day one and offer something different and innovative.

The deficit has been raised as a major issue for Atlasia this election. What specific measures do you support to reduce the deficit?
And with good reason, we still possess a major deficit in our national budget and the consequences of that over the long term will pose a major problem to the younger generations. Seeing as I don't believe in riddling them with debt over our mistakes and overspending, it is certainly necessary to tackle the deficit in a reasonable manner and seek a long-term plan for reduction over the upcoming budget.

I'd like to take a look at wasteful spending in general through reviews and audits of several parts of the national budget, as I'm sure there will be some significant expenses to be cost. We can also look towards reducing the number of government spending in terms of the bureauracy. Lastly, we will also have to consider where to invest to further stimulate the economy while realizing not only what we cannot invest from, but what we'll have to cut from the budget and in that sense I expect some active work with my domestic-policy members of the cabinet as to the hard but responsible measures to be taken.

Your campaign seems to have significant momentum. Why do you believe your candidacy has received support from across the Atlasian political spectrum, and why should it continue to do so?
I think it probably comes down to a matter of vision and what Atlasia we want to build. As I noted before, there is a large number of Atlasians who believe we are going down the wrong road and who wish for a change of course and for something different to take place, and that is a concern that extends beyond ideologies and goes beyond the old concept of left v. right in a fight to the political death. I think that support (much of it surprising) comes because people have seen an experienced ticket which, while being competent also possesses a vision or a part of it that people can get behind so Atlasia begins to change and we move away from complacency.

I hope we continue to grow in support that this translates in an upset victory at the election, and I'm certainly committed to continue fighting an active campaign so Atlasians consider this ticket to be a legitimate force for change and for good, dynamic governance of the nation. We have a chance here to do things differently and put a stop to business as usual and to managed decline.

Furthermore, your choice of Siren as your running mate was surprising. Can you explain to voters how you came to that choice?
Well, like many I was rather interested in the potential of Siren as a presidential candidate (more than prepared to support her) and indeed, I considered her to be a viable, compelling option as far back as 2014. And when I was looking at my potential running mates and came down to three or four alternatives which I respected and worked well with, her name came at the top of the list without a doubt. It dawned on me that if I wanted a Vice-President in which I could trust, who could serve effective on the duties of the office (and more) and that could complement my vision there was just no better choice for the job, simple as that.

Our friendship goes back to a number of years and has never been affected even by being on opposite sides of a ballot, and I'm very glad she decided this ticket was worth the effort. To me it makes perfect sense as a partnership that could do a lot for Atlasia, and not a cynical gambit just for the sake of winning votes.

Finally, along with your presidential campaign there is a Senate race for your Fremont seat.  What are your thoughts on the Senate race, and what kind of person should Fremont elect to the Senate?
Well, the field hasn't fully developed yet, has it? I'll certainly be looking with interest when it comes to the candidates and what they have to say, but my mind is open at the moment on the subject and there's still a month for a race to properly and actively develop. All I can say at this time is that I would like to see Fremont elect a Senator who can check three main boxes: someone who is active and committed to the role, someone who places importance in ethical standards in the Senate, and someone who gives the people of the region a strong voice to be heard on Nyman.

Thank you to North Carolina Yankee for participating in this interview. I've provided my interview with him below and invite you to read it.

What drove you to run for President in this election?
What drove me to run for President was that fundamentally, I think we have lost sight of what this game is about. Every so often we have these controversies, but the ones that bother me the most are the ones that I think are generated from disagreement taken too far.

What makes this game fun is the disagreement and the passion, and when we go too far, when we destroy that disagreement through a "conquer the sandbox" mentality, we end up removing the core that makes playing this game worthwhile.

As President, it is my objective to try and restore that focus but also to try and drive the debate on key issues to form the fundamental core of that discourse.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Atlasia? How would you address those challenges if you are elected?
The biggest challenge is recognizing that this is a voluntary game, and that people want a reason to come here. That is where I think the fundamental root of all our other problems lie We need to value disagreement and value contributions on both sides of the aisle. It doesn't mean I expect you support Pay Go, it does mean you should want me to support Pay Go because otherwise you are out of a job. :P In terms of issues, I think our top two issues right now are the deficit and the war. I have spoken about how these two issues intertwine and how we need to get serious about our deficit. That does include reform, while meeting our obligations to the needy. It does mean efficiency while still meeting our obligations to defend us.

As for the War itself, I really don't fancy an escalating war with one of the most powerful and must I remind people nuclear powers in the world. I think our objective should be to set a clear goal that is achievable. A lot depends on whether or not China will accept a government that is not their puppet and that is hard to say right now. I am fairly certain that my understanding of Chinese policy generally, is that they want to make lots of money, they need to create lots of jobs to maintain internal stability and they don't want a geopolitical counter on their border. What I want is a government selected by the Korean people and therefore we must make clear that our objective is self determination and not the puppet state that China accuses us of wanting to setup. With clearly stated objective bounded by the reasonable options perhaps the two sides can both achieve mutual objectives, still respect self determination and avoid this getting any worse.

What is your opinion on President fhtagn's performance as President? In particular, can you name what you see as her biggest accomplishment, and-if possible-one area in which you would have done something differently?
I think fhtagn's biggest achievement is that she has kept us safe and has tried to keep us from getting drawn into a downward spiral. Whatever one might say of a given action in this regard, I think her overall strategic viewpoint has been sound, wise and reasonable in this regard.

I would rate her performance as rather solid. We have seen progress on a number of domestic issues and a keen interest in getting bills right and getting policy right, exercising redraft power for instance on the Care for Veterans bill for instance. She also has one of the best Vice Presidents in the history of the game and one of the more active cabinets.

One thing I might be keen to do differently, and this is more style than anything, having been in the legislative branch so long, is that I would have a greater presence in bill threads and I do plan to start doing Question Time again for the members of Congress, since I think this would increase engagement and would get better involvement this time around then last time it was tried when Congress was less active.

What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment in your political career, so far? If you can't name one, then top 3 would be fine.
Well the big three for me would be healthcare both times, rescuing my party both times and fighting to preserve checks and balances. It is very easy to discount their importance and press ahead, but we forget that in large measure achieving a government that respects natural freedom came about largely because of checks and balances being put in place first.

Why do you think you are the best person to be President?
I think the people should make the determination as to who is the best person for the job. I will say that when you combine not just the experience, but also my record, my dedication, and my positions be it my values regarding this game, fiscal responsibility, foreign policy restraint or pursuing reform to programs without leaving people to die in the streets for lack of care or help, I hope that voters see in me the kind of President they want to have. And see in my administration the potential for the welcoming and Engaging Atlasia, that we also should strive for daily.

What do you consider as your biggest strengths for being President, and some potential weaknesses?
My biggest strength I would say is that I can weigh important concerns and pursue the best approach and some times aspects of that approach aren't too popular with one side or the other. A lot of times in real life especially, people like to message a given situation to fit their prescribed policy proposals, whereas I tend to be something of a realist. I do have principles in that I like for people to have options and I like for the regions to take the lead on some issues, but I am never one to just ignore an issue or pretend it is hoax or something, I am going to find a solution for those problems while still operating within my pro-market choice (notice I said market choice and not just market) and pro-regionalist principles.

You have raised the deficit as a major issue for Atlasia. What specific measures do you support to reduce the deficit?
We have to have a standard, if it is important we need to fund it with a dedicated revenue stream and we need to examine how we do it. I most certainly want a strong military, but at the same time we should not just toss money at the Pentagon and expect it to be well spent. We need to change the way these processes work and some of them are addressed in bills like Never's Efficiency bill. We need procurement reform across the government so that everything has competitive contracting, we need to negotiate for lower prices, which Atlascare does have the ability to do. The Federal government buys a lot of stuff and when you buy in bulk, you should be able to get it at discount prices, that applies to more than just prescription drugs. We need to continue with reforming health care by looking at delivery and technology, payment methods and so on to bring those costs down further.

Game reform has been another important issue. Do you believe the game needs significant reform, and if so what kinds of policies would you support?
I don't think any reform is as powerful as the actions that we take as individual players. I am naturally skeptical of the idea that we can fix Atlasia from a top down approach. We need more interaction, how do you legislate that? We need more creativity and legislating, how do you amend that into existence? I think most things in Atlasia that are good come from the bottom up.

Sometimes, you reach a point where reform is necessary, where a system has to be fixed, not because it was based on flawed principles even but just to serve its intended purpose. Like Congress in real life for instance. I am not against reform by any means, but I think we should be careful, we should be mindful of the importance of checks and balances and guard them aggressively against any kind of weakening or systemic degredation in the name of convenience. Just like a discriminatory or unequal state leads to a violation of one's liberties, it also means that someone is getting screwed in a game that they can leave at any time, so it is essential for that reason as well.

You are undeniably experienced in Atlasian politics. Do you believe this is an asset and how should voters think about the issue of 'experience', in your opinion?
Experience is important because it means you have seen a variety of different things transpire and thus are better able to handle and respond to it yourself. As for voters, I think they should look to accomplishments and basically, "what did you did do with that experience?". For instance I can point to the pre-reset health care law as an example of both bipartisanship, and making a small working group on a chat room a productive model that facilitates the legislative process. I can point to a situation where the administration was directly engaging through the soIA with the Regional Governors. These experiences can serve to inform as to what can be done and how it looks when it is being done and the impact that it has the game. This is beneficial because some times I wonder if we miss out because of our incomplete records and such at letting people know for instance the full range of options for a media company, or how the administration can collaborate with regions, etc. It becomes lost knowledge.

Finally, your candidacy has received support from a wide range of voters. To voters who aren't natural Federalists, why do you believe they should also support your candidacy?
Well for one thing Atlasian Conservatism is much more traditional and/or Burkean than real life conservatism. Therefore it is also more moderate and balanced in its approaches to say foreign policy and certainly so with regards to the safety net than the real life Republican Party by comparison. I led, collaborated with and helped passed two health care laws in two different eras in Atlasia, both contained generous subsidies and both contained public plans of some sort that consolidated pre-existing public plans or took a pre-existing public system and fixed it, while providing greater choices to the consumer, and a strong regional component.

"Federalist" Conservatism isn't about taking a one size fits all policy solution and trying to jam a square peg into a round hole and where it is completely impossible to force it in, pretending said hole doesn't exist. It is about making sure that everything fits into their proper places while using the least amount of wood possible to achieve the objective. Like Thomas Paine said, "least expense and greatest benefit, is preferable to all others". It is about acknowledging problems and then finding reasonable solutions that still preserve natural liberty, still respect regions and still provide the consumer with the most choices possible. I can assure you that poverty is real, I live it. I can assure you that pollution is a real problem, I have drank it. I can assure you that inability to access healthcare is a problem, I have seen close relatives die from it.

I would humbly ask all Atlasians to consider voting for me regardless of their party because while I am a conservative and a Federalist, I am an Atlasian and I am a human being first. I understand that consequences exist for the utopian wish list on both sides and I understand the importance and value the contributions of all who play this game, which is why I am running to try and create a more Welcoming and Engaged Atlasia.

Got June elections poll #3 out, please make sure to vote in it. The more responses the better!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XYC8UAVux4y2_uS5Qz2gBTOJoM27ipOYQcz4VehY16s

Got 14 responses so far keep them coming. We need as many people as possible to get the accuracy you deserve!

Don't miss out-vote now! 20 responses so far.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XYC8UAVux4y2_uS5Qz2gBTOJoM27ipOYQcz4VehY16s

Thank you to everyone who has responded so far. If you haven't voted yet, please make sure to vote in The Atlasian Post's June elections poll #3. Got some interesting results so far-stay tuned!

Got a good response rate so far but need some more responses. Especially Federalists, please vote in my poll if you are a Federalist, so we can have greater accuracy heading into this exciting, close election.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XYC8UAVux4y2_uS5Qz2gBTOJoM27ipOYQcz4VehY16s

Poll closes at midnight-just a few minutes left. So get those last minute responses in!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XYC8UAVux4y2_uS5Qz2gBTOJoM27ipOYQcz4VehY16s

The June race remains extremely competitive, according to the latest poll by The Atlasian Post. North Carolina Yankee has fallen in our latest poll, however I would advise readers to be cautious about those numbers-as there were fewer Federalist respondents in this poll(also as Yankee's running mate dfwlibertylover is renowned-and I can testify from personal experience that this reputation is not undeserved-for his skills at campaign PMs). Both Ninja0428/1184AZ and Lumine/Siren have gained support, due to Yankee's fall and DTC's withdrawal(which may end up proving decisive in whether PUP gets 2nd or 3rd place), though Ninja had the greatest gain. The battle for second place remains virtually neck in neck. The Atlasian Post has not done second round polling, though we do plan to do so in future polls.
In the Senate races, jk2020 is the strong favorite-though also only candidate-to gain Fremont's open Senate seat. Senator Not Madigan also has a dominant lead over Jimmy7812, and seems to have consolidated support for a generic progressive now that is not a candidate on the ballot. As Not Madigan is the most popular Senator, this should be unsurprising. The Southern Senate race seems like it could be competitive, at least in a Peebs vs Reactionary matchup. However Reactionary defied the polls to win a landslide earlier this year, and, as a personal prediction, he remains a strong favorite. More details shall come soon with The Atlasian Post race ratings set to be published, but for now, you can be assured that we have a very competitive presidential race. There is still everything to play for.

*35 respondents
**35 respondents
***34 respondents
****35 respondents
*****16 respondents
******15 respondents
*******11 respondents
********11 respondents
-------------------------------------------
Note; I will post the qualities people chose as the most important in the next President separately.

Oh god we are going to have a three way tie in both the general and the runoff and then have to divide a four month term into three parts.

Lol, that can't be ruled out. I promise that The Atlasia Post will milk that for all it's worth cover that accurately and informatively.

And now for what people gave as the most important quality for the next President. 31 responses were given in total to this question. Note some of these responses are quite similar to others.

-to not warmonger
-Experience x2
-Reform
-Leadership x4
-Progressive policies
-Good policies
-Fairness
-Socially progressive
-Integrity x2
-active
-Protects gun rights!
-Cautious leadership and results
-Political views that I agree with
-Active in legislating
-I want a President who fights for working people
-Big pecker
-Activity/engagement
-Knowledge of the dark arts
-Strong Leadership
-Determination
-LGBT
-Working with the atlasian citizens to solve problems
-Being active
-dog memes
-Attractive
-smoke weed man

Make of this what you will.

I answered the socially progressive one, but I wish I had answered one of these other ones.

Yep we've got some good jokers among us.

Here you are-The Atlasian Post June 2018 race ratings!
Fremont Senate
Likely Mario
Sestak has a broad appeal and has already gained a lot of support, including getting 70% in our latest poll. The only reason I'm not rating this race as Safe Mario is that nobody else has declared yet and there's still time for the race to change, however it's far closer to safe than lean.
Lincoln Senate
Likely Alliance
Not Madigan is a strong candidate, being the most popular Senator in the nation. Jimmy7812 hasn't done terribly but he hasn't expanded his support much beyond the Federalists at this stage-and even there Madigan may have a shot at picking off some voters. Madigan so far has strong support from progressives(I myself will make no comment on which candidate, if any, I'd support, but that's probably irrelevant). Jimmy does have a shot still, especially if he has a strong GOTV operation, but it's unlikely and requires a lot to go right for him(and/or wrong for Madigan). At this stage it is Likely Alliance, but closer to lean than safe.
Southern Senate
Likely Federalist
Mr Reactionary has a high probability of being re-elected in the June 8-11 election. At least he now has an opponent in Delegate Razze, which means the race isn't safe, but Mr R will probably repeat his March victory. Given the South's strong Federalist base, it is very hard to see any Federalist(Fairbol won)-but especially Mr R-losing. However if razze can get strong progressive turnout he could make the race close.

Predicted Senate after June
Federalist: 2_
Alliance: 2 -1
PUP: 1_
Mario 1+1

Lincoln Governor
Tossup
It's a tight race between Clyde1998(PUP) and ReaganClinton(Federalist). Spark498 is unlikely to be elected Governor, though it will be interesting to see how his candidacy affects the race. Neither Clyde nor RC have any clear advantage, and I think this one will come down to the wire.

Presidential race
Tossup
No candidate has a clear advantage, and while some have made the case that Yankee is the frontrunner, his advantage is so minimal as to be non-existent, as all 3 tickets; Yankee/dfw, Ninja/AZ and Lumine/Siren have a good shot at victory. Yankee may end up having a strong ground game that could make the difference with dfw's gotv skills. However, while Yankee likely has a lead in the first round, his numbers are below fhtagn's in February, leaving him vulnerable to either Ninja or Lumine winning in the second round, and both Ninja and Lumine could easily take second place. Lumine is getting a lot of support on the left as well as the centre and right, but still hasn't pushed ahead into second place. Ninja has a strong base with PUP and appeal to the Atlasian left, however he'll need to step up his game to avoid being vulnerable to a third-place finish. This race is very tight and will be very interesting to watch-it could well come down to the wire.

Fremont Parliamentary election
Safe Fianna Fremont
Following Koopa DaQuick's recall, Canis has attracted strong support from across the political spectrum, and following MP Trumpsucks's withdrawal, is currently uncontested. Even if another candidate enters, Canis doesn't have any glaring vulnerabilities and so this race is currently rated Safe Fianna Fremont.
Projected Fremont Parliament
Fianna Fremont: 4+1
Center: 2_
Conservative: 1-1
Unaffiliated: 1_

I believe Canis is running as an Independent.

That's his federal registration, regionally he's Fianna Fremont(or FF). https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=257308.msg6238943#msg6238943

The polls in the Southern Senate race, between Senator Reactionary(Federalist), and Delegate Razze(Peace) have opened. The Atlasian Post recommends that all Southerners get out and vote in this race. The polls will remain open until 9AM EST on June 11, and here is the link to the voting booth(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=293817.new#new)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(SunriseAroundTheWorld last counted)-Trumpsucks & HCP are invalid
Mr Reactionary(blackraisin): 77.77% (14 votes)
Razze: 22.23% 4 votes

Things are looking up!

The polls in the Southern Senate race, between Senator Reactionary(Federalist), and Delegate Razze(Peace) have opened. The Atlasian Post recommends that all Southerners get out and vote in this race. The polls will remain open until 9AM EST on June 11, and here is the link to the voting booth(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=293817.new#new)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Representative Carpetbagger last counted)-Trumpsucks & HCP are invalid
Mr Reactionary(blackraisin): 75.00% (15 votes)
Razze: 25.00% (5 votes)

The polls in the Southern Senate race, between Senator Reactionary(Federalist), and Delegate Razze(Peace) have opened. The Atlasian Post recommends that all Southerners get out and vote in this race. The polls will remain open until 9AM EST on June 11, and here is the link to the voting booth(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=293817.new#new)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(OneJ last counted)-Trumpsucks & HCP are invalid
Mr Reactionary(blackraisin): 68.18% (15 votes)
Razze: 31.82% (7 votes)

The polls in the Southern Senate race, between Senator Reactionary(Federalist), and Delegate Razze(Peace) have opened. The Atlasian Post recommends that all Southerners get out and vote in this race. The polls will remain open until 9AM EST on June 11, and here is the link to the voting booth(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=293817.new#new)
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(sjoyce last counted)-Trumpsucks & HCP are invalid
Mr Reactionary(blackraisin): 65.22% (15 votes)
Razze: 34.78% (8 votes)

We were blessed with great Senate candidates

Actually I don't think hcp is invalid, last I remembered the south does not have the 7 day rule like other regions do.

The polls in the Southern Senate race, between Senator Reactionary(Federalist), and Delegate Razze(Peace) have opened. The Atlasian Post recommends that all Southerners get out and vote in this race. The polls will remain open until 9AM EST on June 11, and here is the link to the voting booth(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=293817.new#new)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(JBrase last counted)-Trumpsucks & HCP are invalid
Mr Reactionary(blackraisin): 62.07% (18 votes)
Razze: 37.93% (11 votes)

The polls in the Southern Senate race, between Senator Reactionary(Federalist), and Delegate Razze(Peace) have opened. The Atlasian Post recommends that all Southerners get out and vote in this race. The polls will remain open until 9AM EST on June 11, and here is the link to the voting booth(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=293817.new#new)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Fuzzy Bear last counted)-Trumpsucks & HCP are invalid
Mr Reactionary(blackraisin): 64.52% (20 votes)
Razze: 35.48% (11 votes)

There could be other candidates for Lincoln Senate. There is no PUP candidate yet but the party has a registration advantage in the region. They would have a good chance of picking up a seat. It's odd that progressives would give strong support to Not Madigan. Maybe they don't watch the Federalist convention but Not Madigan is trying to out-Federalist the Federalist candidate to get the endorsement. Someone mentioned NM stood for Federalist values again and again. And he clains " I believe I have a better record of expanding Liberty and reducing government involvement in Lincoln and Atlasia." I imagine not all progressives want to reduce government involvement.

Expanding Liberty is the key thing in there along with reducing government involvement.  The bills I mentioned voting for were the Postal Reform and Reforming Criminal Law Acts, both of which were supported by progressives*, as well as the Dumb Regulation Repeal Acts, and most if not all were supported by progressives as well, so I personally don't see that as a reason progressives would have a problem with me, especially given my record on Healthcare, Infrastructure, the Environment, and Education (Support of the HELIOS Act).  Also, if you look, a number of progressives (Including the Current Chair of PUP Mike Wells, Vice Chair/Presidential Candidate Ninja0428 of PUP, Vice Presidential Candidate 1184AZ of PUP, Former PUP Chair NeverAgain, and Fremont Speaker Scott of Peace have all backed me based on my record. 

So, personally I may be biased, but I think if you look at the evidence I'm supported by those on the Right and the Left, and my record can clearly appeal to people on both sides of the aisle, including progressives, so I don't think I'll have a problem at all.  (Also, in addition to it being a bit late to run with 13 days left, I've got a lot of PUP support so I think that's a factor as well.)



*Postal Reform Act, Wells Aye Vote (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=291681.msg6217002#msg6217002)
Reforming Criminal Law Act, Pericles Aye Vote (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=289771.msg6173824#msg6173824)

The polls in the Southern Senate race, between Senator Reactionary(Federalist), and Delegate Razze(Peace) have opened. The Atlasian Post recommends that all Southerners get out and vote in this race. The polls will remain open until 9AM EST on June 11, and here is the link to the voting booth(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=293817.new#new)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(NeverAgain last counted)-Trumpsucks & HCP are invalid
Mr Reactionary(blackraisin): 60.61% (20 votes)
Razze: 39.39% (13 votes)

The polls in the Southern Senate race, between Senator Reactionary(Federalist), and Delegate Razze(Peace) have opened. The Atlasian Post recommends that all Southerners get out and vote in this race. The polls will remain open until 9AM EST on June 11, and here is the link to the voting booth(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=293817.new#new)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(mvd10 last counted)-Trumpsucks & HCP are invalid
Mr Reactionary(blackraisin): 61.76% (21 votes)
Razze: 38.24% (13 votes)

The polls in the Southern Senate race, between Senator Reactionary(Federalist), and Delegate Razze(Peace) have opened. The Atlasian Post recommends that all Southerners get out and vote in this race. The polls will remain open until 9AM EST on June 11, and here is the link to the voting booth(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=293817.new#new)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Mondale last counted)-Trumpsucks & HCP are invalid
Mr Reactionary(blackraisin): 59.46% (22 votes)
Razze: 40.54% (15 votes)

The polls in the Southern Senate race, between Senator Reactionary(Federalist), and Delegate Razze(Peace) have opened. The Atlasian Post recommends that all Southerners get out and vote in this race. The polls will remain open until 9AM EST on June 11, and here is the link to the voting booth(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=293817.new#new)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Vice President PiT last counted)-Trumpsucks & HCP are invalid
Mr Reactionary(blackraisin): 62.50% (25 votes)
Razze: 37.50% (15 votes)

*Turns out HCP's vote was valid, so our coverage underestimated Razze by 1 vote. We will seek to avoid such errors in the future.

Boi I told you he was valid

We're now heading into the final phase of the June 2018 campaign, and it remains a pure tossup race. No campaign has secured anything that can be called an advantage, let alone an invulnerable one. Our last poll showed all 3 tickets within 6 points of one another, and none close to 50%. A surprise new poll by DTC polling has put Senator Lumine in the lead with 40%-Lumine hasn't gotten those levels in our own polling but we won't dismiss such a result outright. We will put out our final poll in the coming days, and add questions on a second-round-given that it is very unlikely any ticket gets a first-round majority. As for the campaign quality; at this stage I'd have to say Lumine has run the best campaign, Yankee has run a good campaign but the pressure is on Ninja/AZ to get their profile and message out. Maybe PUP and the Feds will ultimately triumph with a strong get out the vote operation. However, the campaigns have slightly less than one more week to persuade wavering voters and close strong. There is still everything to play for.

Our final June poll is out, please make sure to vote!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YuU04fq8SK0NcE3wU337flmRwRrCVc_F7aHIeY-qWYw

18 responses-keep 'em coming!

29 responses so far, thanks to all those who've already voted. Let's have some more!

When voting, please give your username. I need it to ensure the response is legitimate and nobody is rigging the poll. 3 respondents haven't given their username so far, please don't increase that number and if you're 1 of the 3 please help me figure out who you are to ensure your response is counted in the poll

Keep the responses coming! Federalists-please vote! This poll is the most useful as we can show trends throughout the campaign.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YuU04fq8SK0NcE3wU337flmRwRrCVc_F7aHIeY-qWYw

This poll will close at midnight. Please vote before then. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YuU04fq8SK0NcE3wU337flmRwRrCVc_F7aHIeY-qWYw

I think I voted twice. I thought it was a new poll :(

24 minutes left!

Lumine has continued to gain momentum, now vaulting into second place in our final poll of the campaign. If that happens, then Lumine would very likely be elected President, as he beats both Ninja0428 and North Carolina Yankee by wide margins. In fact, Lumine has increased his vote share in every single poll of our campaign. North Carolina Yankee's chances look slim-he loses by wide margins to both Ninja0428 and Lumine. It seems possible the decider of this election would be whether Lumine gets into the final round; if he does, he wins, if he doesn't, Ninja wins. That at least is the picture painted by our polling. Surprisingly, Ninja did not do any worse against Yankee-in fact better-than Lumine. 16 months of Federalist governance look like they may come to an end. However, I would caution readers not to take these numbers as gospel, as the number of Federalists sampled may be too low, plus a lot depends on which campaign has the most effective get out the vote operation(this is dfwlibertylover we're talking about). Regional numbers, with much smaller response rates, have wide margin of error. However Lincoln's Senate race appears to be competitive, while Fremont is dominated by Sestak(perhaps due to him being the only name on the ballot). And, that's the story.

The Atlasian Post campaign polling, graphed.

Don't let the polls fool you: that ol' bag of bones will dredge up plenty of his fellow graveyard skeletons to vote alongside him when the booth opens!

()

These numbers do not look good for me. :(

Don't stress, everyone knows Atlasia polls are usually unreliable.

Very different numbers than AZ's poll :P

June election results so far
President; Yankee over 50%(Feb never happened)
House; left doing better here-enough to win a majority? We'll see.
Lincoln Senate; Jimmy led, now doesn't
Lincoln Governor; RC dominating, PUP zombies don't know who to vote for
Fremont Senate; WTF

Lincolnites your polls are open until 1 am and so please vote if you haven't already.

ATLASIAN POST PROJECTED JUNE 2018 PRESIDENTIAL RESULTS
North Carolina Yankee/dfwlibertylover; 66 votes 46.48%(+2.14%)
Lumine/Siren; 33 votes 23.24%(+1.54%)
Ninja0428/1184AZ; 32 votes 22.54%(-5.90%)
Peebs/tmthforu94; 5 votes 3.52%
Others; 6 votes 4.22%
142 votes cast

I haven't calculated it myself, but wxtransit told me it ends up as 76 yankee, 34 lumine and 32 ninja. That is 53.52% Yankee, 23.94% Lumine and 22.54% Ninja.
In brackets are the changes for the February results of each party.

Also fyi an abortion ban has been proposed by Speaker Louisville Thunder in Lincoln(and he attempted to end debate 50 seconds after introducing the bill). https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=295125.msg6273882#msg6273882 This may be of interest to some Atlasians and if you have thoughts on the bill please share them in the thread.

The more things change... (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=180524.0)

sad reminder that zuwo just fell off the rolls.

July 13-16th Fremont Senate, Lincoln Senate & South Gov. Special Election Preview

South Governor-Safe Federalist
The Southern Governor Mansion is opened after Governor Fairbol forfeited his Governorship for failure to take action for a period of ten days. Despite Fairbol's unpopularity and the close margin of April's gubernatorial election the Federalists look very likely to retain the Governor mansion. Justice and former President Tmthforu94 looks like a near prohibitive favourite after essentially consolidating Fed support in this deep orange region as well as attracting some significant crossover support(including from myself but I also like Razze so would be very happy with either). Tmthforu's lone rival is Representative Razze who is running as token opposition. Razze will most likely win a decent amount of support among Peace and PUP voters but will face an otherwise uphill battle to flipping the Governor mansion in the virtually Solid Fed South.

Fremont Senate  -Likely Mario
The Fremont Class 1 senate seat is open after Senator Sestak-Mario Party resigned in order to gain a stronger mandate. Sestak beat Lumine by 1 vote, in an election defined by the meme vote. Sestak is once again the only declared candidate so far. While it is possible another person could run a serious write in candidacy or declare before the deadline it seems likely Sestak will win.

Lincoln Senate  - Lean PUP
Lincoin Class 2 seat is opened after Senator Mike Wells surprisingly deregistered. June presidential candidate Ninja0428 looks like a modest but significant favourite to hold this seat for PUP. Ninja is a moderate liberal with some progressive positions. Ninja's main rival is former Representative Politicalmasta who is generally considered a progressive. Despite having a more progressive platform Politicalmasta will likely mainly win the Fed base and some conservative independents. It is plausible for a Federalist like pmasta to win in Lincoln, and the region's PUP lean has been overstated, but it still looks like Ninja will win most progressives and swing voters to take the seat. However the Federalists have a high floor in the region so are not doomed.

Thanks to 1184AZ for helping write this.

The polls are open for the Fremont Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296364.msg6301366#msg6301366), Lincoln Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296366.0) and the Southern gubernatorial election (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296355.0). Please make sure to vote in these elections if you are eligible.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(canis last counted)
Sestak; 44.44% (4 votes)
WI: Siren; 44.44% (4 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 11.12% (1 vote)

(fhtagn last counted)
tmthforu94; 100%(4 votes)
Razze; 0% (0 votes)

Just a note - Siren's write ins are invalid, as she has not confirmed them. They automatically count as invalid votes :P

In a sea of fake news, the Atlasian Post rises above!!! Grateful to have the support of Pericles, a model Atlasian!

We'll sort that out at the end after all they may become valid.

Thank you my friend, you're also a role model for Atlasia.

The polls are open for the Fremont Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296364.msg6301366#msg6301366), Lincoln Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296366.0) and the Southern gubernatorial election (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296355.0). Please make sure to vote in these elections if you are eligible.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(VPH last counted)
Sestak; 53.33% (8 votes)
WI: Siren; 40.00% (6 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 6.67% (1 vote)

With Siren invalid;
Sestak; 91.67% (11 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 8.33^% (1 vote)

(Young Texan last counted)
tmthforu94; 57.14% (8 votes)
Razze; 42.86% (6 votes)

(DTC last counted) Talleyrand is invalid
WI: Adam Griffin; 36.36% (8 votes)
Ninja0428; 36.36% (8 votes)
WI: Vern; 13.63% (3 votes)
Politicalmasta; 9.10% (2 votes)
WI: LT; 4.55% (1 vote)

Drewmike and Talleyrand are invalid due to post requirements; here's the up-to-date first round count for Lincoln (as of badger; 23 valid votes):

WI: Griff - 10 (43.5%)
Ninja - 7 (30.4%)
WI: Vern - 3 (13.0%)
Pmasta - 2 (8.7%)
WI: LT - 1 (4.8%)

The polls are open for the Fremont Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296364.msg6301366#msg6301366), Lincoln Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296366.0) and the Southern gubernatorial election (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296355.0). Please make sure to vote in these elections if you are eligible.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Itomlinson31 last counted)
Sestak; 50.00% (8 votes)
WI: Siren; 43.75% (7 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 6.25% (1 vote)

With Siren invalid;
Sestak; 92.31% (12 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 7.69% (1 vote)

(weatherboy1102 last counted)
tmthforu94; 58.82% (10 votes)
Razze; 41.18% (7 votes)

(Leinad last counted)
WI: Adam Griffin; 40.00% (10 votes)
Ninja0428; 32.00% (8 votes)
WI: Vern; 16.00% (4 votes)
Politicalmasta; 8.00% (2 votes)
WI: Louisville Thunder; 4.00% (1 vote)

Why is Sestak in maroon? He's usually blue and having him in that color is just confusing.

I'll change it just didn't know which color he was.

In case anyone was wondering:

(Conservatopia last counted)

WI: Adam Griffin; 37.04% (10 votes)
Ninja0428; 33.33% (9 votes)
WI: Vern; 18.52% (5 votes)
Politicalmasta; 7.41% (2 votes)
WI: Louisville Thunder; 3.70% (1 vote)

WI: Adam Griffin; 37.04% (10 votes)
Ninja0428; 33.33% (9 votes)
WI: Vern; 18.52% (5 votes)
Politicalmasta; 11.11% (3 votes)

WI: Adam Griffin; 37.04% (10 votes)
Ninja0428; 33.33% (9 votes)
WI: Vern; 29.62% (8 votes)

WI: Adam Griffin; 53.85% (14 votes)
Ninja0428; 46.15% (12 votes)

It's only 12-9 now! The margin is closing, call it razz-mentum!

The polls are open for the Fremont Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296364.msg6301366#msg6301366), Lincoln Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296366.0) and the Southern gubernatorial election (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296355.0). Please make sure to vote in these elections if you are eligible.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Goldwater last counted)
Sestak; 50.00% (10 votes)
WI: Siren; 45.00% (9 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 5.00% (1 vote)

With Siren invalid;
Sestak; 93.33% (14 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 6.67% (1 vote)

(Tim Turner last counted)
tmthforu94; 54.55% (12 votes)
Razze; 45.45% (10 votes)

(Conservatopia last counted)
WI: Adam Griffin; 37.04% (10 votes)
Ninja0428; 33.33% (9 votes)
WI: Vern; 18.52% (5 votes)
Politicalmasta; 7.41% (2 votes)
WI: Louisville Thunder; 3.70% (1 vote)

The polls are open for the Fremont Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296364.msg6301366#msg6301366), Lincoln Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296366.0) and the Southern gubernatorial election (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296355.0). Please make sure to vote in these elections if you are eligible.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(HenryWallaceVP last counted)
Sestak; 47.62% (10 votes)
WI: Siren; 47.62% (10 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 4.76% (1 vote)

With Siren invalid;
Sestak; 93.33% (14 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 6.67% (1 vote)

( Alabama_Indy10 last counted)
tmthforu94; 60.00% (18 votes)
Razze; 40.00% (12 votes)

(terp40hitch last counted)
WI: Adam Griffin; 34.48% (10 votes)
Ninja0428; 31.03% (9 votes)
WI: Vern; 24.14% (7 votes)
Politicalmasta; 6.90% (2 votes)
WI: Louisville Thunder; 3.45% (1 vote)

The polls are open for the Fremont Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296364.msg6301366#msg6301366), Lincoln Senate race (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296366.0) and the Southern gubernatorial election (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=296355.0). Please make sure to vote in these elections if you are eligible.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(OldSchoolRepublican last counted)
Sestak; 47.83% (11 votes)
WI: Siren; 47.83% (11 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 4.34% (1 vote)

With Siren invalid;
Sestak; 93.75% (15 votes)
WI: Tea Party Hater; 6.25% (1 vote)

If both Sestak and Siren are invalid;
WI: Tea Party Hater; 100.00% (2 votes)
Seatown and Potus write-ins are most likely invalid, but who can predict anything about this race with any certainty any more?!

(PiT last counted)
tmthforu94; 62.50% (20 votes)
Razze; 37.50% (12 votes)

(Pessimistic Antineutrino last counted)
WI: Adam Griffin; 32.26% (10 votes)
Ninja0428; 29.03% (9 votes)
WI: Vern; 29.03% (9 votes)
Politicalmasta; 6.45% (2 votes)
WI: Louisville Thunder; 3.23% (1 vote)

Lincoln and Fremont Senate remain Too Close to Call.

Tmthforu's Supreme Court shortlist. While there are other possibilities these are the ones, as indicated to me by a source close to Governor tmthforu and his thinking, that are most likely to be picked.

Comment your thoughts on the shortlist below.

PiT or Santander would be great

Two excellent choices. One good choice. One choice that would lead to me deregistering permanently.

Texasgurl or PiT would be best

Current Senate
2 Alliance(Not_Madigan, wxtransit)
2 Federalist(Mr Reactionary, Haslam2020)
1 PUP(Ninja0428)
1 Mario(jk2020)
6 seats
4 seats for majority

WE WANT SPIRAL
WE WANT SPIRAL

actually agree with you there, though all choices but 1 would do fine.

Santander, PiT, and Spiral seem like excellent options.

Coming soon; co-editor 1184AZ interviews Louisville Thunder. Don't miss it!

Got a new poll out-would appreciate if you took a quick bit of time to respond to it.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XCfzxPA8x-o__1Zvw6UiiJNaPvjHgZf9UKyvDLS989c

The poll doesn't really account for my position on dueling.

1. I am deeply troubled by it and am against its use personally.

2. I don't think it should be banned though.

That's why I specifically put in brackets "leaving aside your opinion on its legality". So do people support or oppose its use, and ofc they can disapprove without that being support for an outright ban.

I interpreted the legality more as to refer to current questions of constitutionality, not whether or not we should have the practice of dueling.

Oh ok, I thought 'legality' would be taken as whether or not it should be legal and not whether it is constitutional, guess I was mistaken.

You could think something is presently illegal, think it should be, and disapprove of its practice.

It is kind of like Abortion. You can agree or disagree with Roe. You can then think abortion should legal or illegal, and then you can have a personal opinion on abortion.

Like those who are pro-choice but personally against abortion and would not recommend it.

As of right now I tend to think dueling is constitutional, that it should be an option, but I strongly disapprove of the practice personally. So when it comes to dueling, you can say I am pro-choice. :P

Huh, would be funny if the dueling debate ends up on the 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life' dividing lines.

30 responses so far-keep 'em coming!

Non-Southerners, please don't vote in the question on the Southern Senate race. I specifically put Southerners only, and it's hard enough to accurately poll the South as is.

Now up to 46 responses!
The link; https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XCfzxPA8x-o__1Zvw6UiiJNaPvjHgZf9UKyvDLS989c

OMG THERE IT IS AGAIN!. 46, just like with WELLS!!!!


Illuminati confirmed!

54 now though.

Of course 54, the height of the RED SCARE!!!!

The plot thickens!

I'll give this poll 10 more mins and then shut it down, there don't seem to be any more responses. If you do want to respond do so now.

The results of The Atlasian Post July election poll shows Senator Haslam2020 leading over challenger #TheShadowyAbyss. With 22 responses to the Southern question, the turnout for this question was strong and likely over half of the ultimate Senate electorate. The partisan composition was 50% Federalist, 18.18% PUP, 18.18% Peace, 9.09% Alliance and 4.55% Independent, which seems roughly in line with the actual census data(except Peace is over-represented compared to PUP, but that doesn't matter as both parties would support TSA). The race isn't safe yet for the Federalists, but Haslam remains a strong favorite and there is plenty of work for TSA to do if he hopes to win. Nationwide, Haslam's approval rating is 48.1%, the lowest of any Senator, but the nationwide electorate is much less pro-Federalist than the Southern one. At this stage therefore, The Atlasian Post is rating Southern Senate as Likely Federalist.

July 20-23 2018 Southern gubernatorial election
Tmthforu94 - 24 (64.86%)
WI: Razze - 11 (29.73%)
FairBol - 2 (5.41%)

July 20-23 2018 Southern Chamber of Delegates election
Federalist; 5 seats
Peace; 1 seat
PUP; 1 seat
7 seats
4 for majority

TheSaint250(Federalist), Ben Kenobi(Federalist), Young Texan(Federalist), Spark498(Federalist), Bagel23(Federalist), HCP(Peace), Tim Turner(PUP) are elected

Alliancite thumb21 lost to Bagel by a margin of just 0.02, edged out on the final preferences(which in a full disclosure I personally was saddened to see happen).

This is ridiculous. Fremont keeps on having unopposed elections, these two Senate races, the Class I Special, the FM election, Galaxie's special,  the June Senate race, Canis's special. This is more than just an anomaly at this point, it points to a systematic problem in Fremont. It should be something that concerns all Fremontians, and not a partisan issue. I've heard someone on Discord saying that I only oppose unopposed elections when it's not a left-wingers going unopposed. And yes, I'll admit I'd prefer a left-winger to win 100% of the vote than a right-wingers to win 100% of the vote. But the best elections are competitive elections, and I'm not jumping for joy when only one person is on the ballot-regardless of their ideology. The parliamentary elections have larger fields, but they're not supposed to be truly competitive and aren't. They are the easiest elections in Atlasia to win and I'm not saying we should make them harder to win because it's a good first start for newcomers(I was once a newcomer). But plenty of other elections should be competitive. The last contested election was April's FM race and it wasn't much of a contest. I found my April Senate race a bad experience on a personal level, but for Fremont needs more races like it. We had a close election, a debate, candidates campaigning, an actual contest. And I'm sure we could have had more races like it-be we saw with the write in controversies people the unopposed candidates weren't and aren't universally popular. I'll admit I'm partially to blame here, I considered running against Sestak and one of the main reasons I chose the House instead was because I presumed he'd beat me-and maybe he would have. But if everyone has that attitude, we'll get a game that is increasingly stagnant and uninteresting. Please, take some risks, if you want to run then do it. We need more candidates with fresh visions, don't underestimate yourself. I don't know exactly why we have this systematic problem in Fremont-maybe it's got something to do with us having the fewest people. But I know we shouldn't accept this situation, or presume it's inevitable. I don't have all the answers, so please comment on this post and try and give further insight into why we have this problem and what we can do about it. Let's discuss this issue and not let this situation of unopposed elections be unopposed. Or maybe I'm wrong-if I am tell me that too.

I'll just go ahead and state it because I have no need to hide behind discord: I was the one who criticized Pericles on discord. If he actually cared about consistency he would have protested against Canis running unopposed, but instead he only did it for the seat Tea Party Hater was running for.

Spin it any way you like, but your ballot is more than enough proof to back my accusation.

I also did meme write-ins when Canis was unopposed for parliament, and you are right that I'm a bit biased on this, but I do think the point overall is valid that we shouldn't be having these unopposed elections.

Except you only felt the need to make that point in the race where a left winger wasn't running. That doesn't exactly help your argument that you genuinely care about the issue. Especially when you go out of your way to shut down candidates who actually take the time to declare and campaign (ex., Sestak), but somehow expect more to come out after they see how existing candidates are treated.

You are also the Vice Chair of a major party (which has the most registered members in Fremont, more if you include Peace in your voting) did most of the recent recruitment in the game, but can't find a single candidate to run in any uncontested Fremont races?

()

Why should I be required to support candidates just because they're on the ballot? That attitude is part of the problem. And this regional issue has impacted on PUP. We can try step up our game though and we'd still end up having uncontested elections. Also cool dog pic.

I didn't say you should support a candidate just because they are on the ballot, just don't pretend you actually care about uncontested elections when you are more than fine with them when the only candidate is a left winger.

Did you actually read the article?

I did, and my point still stands:

I mean to be fair unopposed elections keep happening because no one is running if you want that to change encourage more people to run.

Oh I'm not blaming you for running unopposed-you should get credit for putting yourself on the ballot. And that's a big part of it, but I'm getting the feeling that the problem may run deeper.

I'll admit this is a problem (now in Pericles defense, I've seen more lefties run unopposed than right wingers in my time here but it's not like we've had PUP primaries for these seats either) but as FM, it sadly hasn't exactly been my highest priority. This is because lately we've had so many vacancies where it was hard to even get 1 person to run for office (which leads me to bring up the fact that there's an opening in Parliament right now that's unfilled) and in this latest round of senate elections, I'm glad I was able to appoint 2 candidates (I received no other inquires about a senate seat aside from those 2), and it was delusional to expect a contested election in the smallest region on such short notice for both seats. I also don't wanna see these unopposed elections turn into protest/meme write ins that discourage players and thus only makes it worse, which is why I instantly said after I saw Pericles write me in that I'd decline write ins to put the breaks at another protest election. Hopefully we'll see some improvement now that they'll likely be less turnover for the next cycle or two, so all majors parties will have more time to put up contested candidates.

The western regions, Pacific and now Fremont, long struggled with having one sided, noncompetitive or even uncontested elections.

As I said just a few minutes ago:

"I think what's inappropriate is to have such short periods between a vacancy and a special; makes it harder to find any and all people interested in running, especially in a place like Fremont. Not only does it restrict the potential candidate pool, but it makes the campaign process a joke when it's only a few days."

How many elections have we had in the past month where the campaign/declaration period was less than a week?

Btw, following 1184AZ's departure the co-editor position at The Atlasian Post is vacant. I will be accepting applications-if you're interested in working for this newspaper please PM me either here or on Discord.

wxtransit, having voted for the candidates in the wrong races(deliberately though but still), and being deregistered, is invalid. dead0man is the last counted. Polls close at midnight on Sunday(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=297429.0)

The Atlasian Post projects that, for Fremont's Class I Senate seat, Canis has been elected



The Atlasian Post projects that, for Fremont's Class II Senate seat, it is Too Close to Call

Note that Wallace is a valid write-in candidate, having confirmed his candidacy and written in himself, and furthermore he has told me he intends to win the Senate seat outright.

wxtransit, having voted for the candidates in the wrong races(deliberately though but still), and being deregistered, is invalid.ProudModerate2 is the last counted. Polls close at midnight on Sunday(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=297429.0)

The Atlasian Post projects that, for Fremont's Class I Senate seat, Canis has been elected



The Atlasian Post projects that, for Fremont's Class II Senate seat, it is Too Close to Call

Note that Wallace is a valid write-in candidate, having confirmed his candidacy and written in himself, and furthermore he has told me he intends to win the Senate seat outright.

wxtransit, having voted for the candidates in the wrong races(deliberately though but still), and being deregistered, is invalid. ProudModerate2 is the last counted. Polls close at midnight on Sunday(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=297429.0)

The Atlasian Post projects that, for Fremont's Class I Senate seat, Canis has been elected

So you deleted your first ballot and trying to vote again?

Truman told me it was legal to revote. I was wary but I trust his judgement and he's more knowledgeable in these issues than me. He did not have any involvement with me deleting my ballot, I did that because I didn't want my 3rd pref for TPH to give him the edge over Wallace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9dSGaDad_4&t=2s

July 2018 Senate elections
PUP; 3+2
Federalist: 2_
Independent: 1+1
Alliance: 0-2
Mario: 0-1
6 seats
4 for majority

Left wingers now have a majority in both houses of Congress. The left-wing Senate majority, if all vote, is veto-proof, though the Federalists with 4 seats in the House can still uphold presidential vetoes.

wxtransit, having voted for the candidates in the wrong races(deliberately though but still), and being deregistered, is invalid. Lumine is the last counted. Polls close at midnight on Sunday(https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=297429.0)

Your vote for Wallace is illegal and does not count therefore it should be a tie. I will be contesting this if your illegal vote stands.

Please do contest so we can clear this issue up. If the vote is not counted that decision will be contested too.

You know what you did is illegal.

Reminder that positions are open at The Atlasian Post and if you want to join now is your opportunity.

I'm delighted to announce that Senator Haslam2020 has joined The Atlasian Post.

I have a new poll, this is for Southerners only. August 10-13 Southern Senate race poll (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_m51GyuN5qWYdtnADdFRstRpriQVVhXm3v-3N71B6TE). It is on the upcoming Senate race between Haslam2020 and weatherboy1102 on August 10-13. Note that despite working for this paper, Haslam will not see your personal data, and neither will weatherboy. The poll will of course close by August 10. Additionally, please put your username so I know the response is legitimate. Responses without usernames will be deleted as I can't prove they're by Southerners at all(especially due to the differences between this and our usual polls).

This poll has 21 responses so far-keep 'em coming!

tmthforu94 will also be working for The Atlasian Post and I'm delighted to have him on board.

This poll is now closed.

The Southern Senate race, without much fanfare, will happen from August 10-13. And it looks like incumbent Federalist Senator Haslam2020 is the heavy favorite to win. I'd be hesitant to rate this race as Safe, and I think it's possible for progressives to win in the South, but this election will most likely be a Haslam win and this race is Likely Federalist. The Federalist base will likely boost Senator Haslam to a win, and in addition he has appeal with the South's swing voters(few and far between but there are some). Southerners also approve of Governor tmthforu94 and President North Carolina Yankee. The presidential preferences give an interesting insight, and more people want Federalist candidates than progressive candidates(though Yankee's incumbency boosts this margin, and this question with the fewest responses is likely the least reliable). weatherboy1102 still looks likely to win the support of a sizable minority of Southerners, but it's doubtful that can become a majority in this race.

*This poll had 24 respondents. That is over half of the likely electorate, which hopefully bodes well for the poll's accuracy.
**This question had 18 responses

The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
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The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
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The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 12-13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The polls are open in the Southern Senate race and will remain open until midnight August 12-13. Here is the link to the voting booth. (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=298531.msg6348255#msg6348255) The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
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One of the higher turnouts for the region as well, though not the highest.

It was the same number of votes as Peebs vs Fairbol as I pointed out earlier, idk whether this election or that one was higher as a percentage of the electorate though.

NeverAgain's victory turned out 53 votes in April 2017 or whatever month he became Governor as I recall.

Actually it was this: https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=262404.50

What are you most proud of from your time in the Southern Chamber of Delegates so far?
I'm most proud of starting the discussion of renaming the South and proud of introducing legislation that would make the Governor have to appoint actual people to positions, preventing another Fairbol appointment fiasco.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Atlasia? How would you address those challenges if you are elected to the House?
There's many things we need to do in Congress, I do think we need to tackle these deficits head on, we can cut spending and work toward balancing the budget. Another major problem I'm seeing is Atlasia needs an impartial judiciary and i'll be writing a bill if elected that can help remedy that.
Furthermore, what's your opinion of the performance of Atlasia's current political leadership-President Yankee and the current Congress respectively?
I support President Yankee and I happily voted for him in the presidential election. Now in terms of Congress, I have respect for every single member of Congress as I'm friends with most of them. I look forward to working with both sides of the aisle as well if elected.
Follow up-Anything you'd like to add-what could this Congress improve on and what has it done right?
I would like Congress passing more tax cuts for all Atlasians and more discussion of foreign policy as we have more powers in that front now. I would like to commend though Representative fhtagn for her bill Not All Pig Roasts Are A Good Idea Act.
What do you believe is your biggest strength and biggest weakness(or area for improvement)?
My biggest strength, in my opinion, is being blunt about my opinions, I'm not afraid to tell anyone how I think and I'm proud of that. My biggest weakness on the other hand probably is my tendency to get aggressive at times, though I will say I've been improving on this for a while now and I think I've gotten better at it.
What about the issue of activity-how much of a problem do you think inactivity is in Atlasia and how should it be addressed?
I used to think inactivity was a really grave problem, but later on I came to see that it's not that bad of a problem. The game typically sees more activity in the summer than in the winter, which is totally understandable. Activity isn't some issue we can fix.
Just going back to what you've said before in this interview-you've expressed support for balancing the budget and for tax cuts? How do you believe the two goals can both be achieved?
Balancing the budget needs to be a priority first, in the Coolidge years in real life this happened but I don't view it as feasible now, once we've solved the budget and cut enough spending, I think we can move to tax cuts.
Moving to Southern politics for a bit, what are your thoughts on the results of the recent Haslam vs weatherboy Senate race and what do you believe we can take from these results?
Well, I'm very supportive of Senator Haslam, and am very glad he has won re-election. I will say, progressives did very well, and I was surprised. I think this means progressives and the left have more support for the meantime, but I'm expecting the South to remain a Federalist region still for the time being. I also want to commend weatherboy and Haslam for a very great campaign.
Finally, do you have any advice for voters in the upcoming midterm elections?
I recommend voters vote their conscience in the upcoming midterms, read candidate's platforms as well.

Thank you to Young Texan for participating in this interview.

Good to see you had a good interview!

We have a new poll out, our first for the October election cycle(https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-7ox-hRGVXPSwC7FG6Wf33D3WQsC88q9lZ7b1Ie5bk0). Please make sure to take it and help this poll be as accurate and informative as possible!

So I wonder when The Atlasian Post is going to report on the fact that the person who runs it, who happens to be the House Deputy Speaker, doesn't bother reading the bills he votes on, such as HB 1328 (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=301999.0)


When pressed on why he voted Nay but had given no explanation in debate or even on discord, this was the response:
()

The problems with this statement:
1. If he had read the bill, he would have seen that it has nothing to do with deregulation.
2. If he had read the bill, he would have seen that the land that would be sold from this had already been marked as suitable for disposal for over 20 years, but was still owned by the federal government for some reason.
3. If he really cared about reducing the deficit, he would have seen that this was an easy bill to help reduce our national debt that doesn't harm a single person.


The only thing that's truly in darkness are the intentions of Representative Pericles. If he can't be bothered to explain his stance on a bill he doesn't support, something he has publicly said that an elected official should be expected to do, then Atlasia deserves better.

The land will likely be sold to mining, energy or development interest. What's wrong with protecting said land for the animals? want to cause everything besides man to die out or what?

Do yourself a favor and look up legislation I've put forward and supported regarding the environment and animals, then get back to me.

Building on Pericles and his lack of properly representing the people, he issued this response:
()

1. Posting here isn't vandalism.
2. I'll stop when you answer the question. 

How the mighty have fallen.

I have a right to my beliefs and wasn't convinced by this bill, I used my discretion as the people elected me to do. Since it was a relatively inconsequential bill I don't see the need to post a spiel about every bill, if you keep giving me bills I'm unconvinced by I'll vote against them. If this doesn't satisfy you you can keep throwing a hissy fit and embarrass yourself but I have better things to do with my time than engage in idiotic arguments with you.

You yourself stated that elected officials should be willing to explain why they don't support something.  Don't be a hypocrite, Pericles. Your voters deserve better.

At least I actually contribute in the House and introduce bills. I also actually deliver on my campaign promises. So you can make all the threats you want regarding my bills, but for someone who has better things to do than argue with me, your job in Atlasia clearly isn't one of them.

I must confess it is fascinating how much you two seem to utterly loathe each other. I don't suppose I could suggest a duel to settle things?

Cabinet members in this administration are forbidden from the archaic practice of dueling.

Indeed. Such dull times we live in...

Anyway, reposting this as a reminder.

You've had quite a varied career in Atlasia. What would you say is your biggest accomplishment, and why?
My time as GM. While I feel I could have done some things differently, the Korean crisis helped revitalize he game and get people talking about foreign policy again. Being GM was a lot of fun actually as I got the opportunity to work closely with a lot of individuals from both parties including fhtagn, dfw, mike Wells, R2D2, Encke ect.
What is your view on Atlasia's current direction, and what do you perceive as the biggest challenges going forward?
I think Atlasia is in desperate need of more active players that present different ideological roles in this game. One of the issues currently is we have a relatively small amount of active players (shout out to Mr. Reactionary , fhtagn, NCY who I don’t often agree with but keep this game active) that simply run active campaigns and engage in debate. This game also needs differing ideological view points to keep people engaged. Without differing ideological factions, people get bored rather easily.
That leads onto the next question; what is the future of the left in Atlasia? What can be learned from PUP-and is Labor the solution to the left's problems?
If the left wants to succeed they need to have a strong message and differentiate themselves from the Federalist Party. The problem with PUP is that they didn’t have a strong message outside of progressivism is great. Instead, a successful left-wing  party needs to have a strong policy message and stand by those policies. The left has done a bad job with defending their policies from Federalist attacks (these attacks certainly aren’t unwarranted). A successful left wing party needs to have active and consistent leadership that engages with their parties members to ensure their parties members stay active and engaged. However I must stress this party members should vote for the left because they want to and not because they feel forced to. While leaders should feel free to talk to potential defectors about their vote they need to respect these individuals have a right to vote their conscious and not push them to vote a certain way.
On the October race; do you have any candidate that you prefer at the moment? What are your thoughts on the current field?
I am not going to be campaigning for any candidate. I will wait and see the campaign before deciding on a candidate to support. I think the left has a small chance at victory but whoever wins the labor nomination really needs to run a top notch  campaign if they hope to defeat Yankee. I will currently predict Yankee currently beats weatherboy 58% to 42%. I think weatherboy beats Wells for the labor nomination.
Ok; you ran for president yourself earlier before dropping out-what did you believe you had to offer, and why did you ultimately drop out of the race? What did you learn from your campaign?

Tbh I’m probably not a strong candidate electability wise. I know I’m deeply disliked by many in the game but I would have been active as President and would have directly challenge the Nyman consensus. I dropped out because I stood little chance of getting more then a handful of votes and I didn’t want to get in the way of another left wing campaign.
Do you think you will run for office again in the future?
I would never count anything out but probably not.
Do you believe the culture of the game is fine and one that is attractive to new players, or is it damaging to the game itself and creating an unwelcoming Atlasia?
I think it’s fine at this point.
What is your view on the current state of the Federalist Party? Do you believe their current dominance can be sustained and entrenched, or are there fundamental problems that will lead to a sea change in Atlasian politics?
I believe eventually their dominance will be challenged and someone will beat them assuming the game continues for a while longer. I think it’s healthy to have a party change every few elections  but the other parties need to earn it and differentiate themselves from the Federalists. No one should be entitled to victory.
What do you believe is your biggest mistake in the game?
Not sticking with one party and acting like a jerk in the past with others. I can’t really blame people for disliking me.
What advice, if any, do you have for voters in the upcoming congressional and presidential elections?
Vote your conscience and engage in the campaign. Thanks for doing this interview.

26 responses so far, please give me some more!
Link to poll (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-7ox-hRGVXPSwC7FG6Wf33D3WQsC88q9lZ7b1Ie5bk0)

*There were 5 Labor members. There were actually 6 votes cast in the Labor primary, because someone answered that question without being a Labor member. Needless to say their response was not counted.
**This question had 14 respondents.
***This question had 12 respondents.
****This question had 30 respondents.

Party breakdown from Fremont?

The Labor Party has organized a late write-in campaign for Pragmatic Populist against Federalist Party candidate Representative Lechasseur for Senator Reactionary's open Southern Senate seat. This has been confirmed to me by two members of the Labor Party leadership. PragmaticPopulist seems to have broad appeal, and after weatherboy1102's close showing in the latest Southern Senate race and new left-wing recruits since this race may be competitive. However Lechasseur has broad appeal and a record of working across party lines, and it is unclear if Labor can activate their voters for a write-in candidate enough to snatch the seat from the Federalists. If labor is to win they will have to sweep the table with the South's swing voters too, despite their very small number, and have a strong get out the vote campaign. This is a key test ahead of the presidential election for a party and leadership that has yet to prove its competence and staying power. While they are definitely favored, Federalist HQ may wish to consider the example of other recent supposedly uncontested races and take appropriate precautions. As for me, I'm happy that I have an actual race to cover and we'll see how the next three days goes. I also recommend that, regardless of your partisan affiliation, all Southerners vote in this Southern election and vote your conscience(as I did, for the very first time!).

I have a new poll, this is the final poll for the October elections, and I hope to have as many people as possible complete it by midnight on Friday. Please respond to this, the more the better! Also, please tell me if you find any issues with the poll.
Poll link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1v6HVotZFR8INrtlMix_6FkBvkvlRc8BykfMPOEkgy2M)

Voted

Got 37 responses so far, thank you and please keep 'em coming!

Got 59 responses. Less than a day left, hope that number can continue to rise!

The Atlasian Post's final October 2018 elections poll got 59 respondents, a pretty respectable sample size. The sample seems somewhat accurate, while the June electorate question shows Yankee may well be underpolled, the partisan composition is relatively proportional to reality and the swing from an electorate Yankee won to one won by weatherboy1102 shows that weatherboy is likely gaining support compared to the performance of Ninja/AZ in June. It is unclear whether these gains will be enough for weatherboy to win. The recent Labor recruiting surge, which created a sizable registration advantage for the left-wing, does seem to be a daunting obstacle for Yankee/dfw to overcome. The Federalists also seem to be in trouble down ballot according to this poll, however it did not ask about specific candidates so it's possible voters will decide differently when faced with the list of candidates. The results do seem inflated for the left, though I have done what I can to get a representative sample for the left, and it seems a bad idea to go down the rabbit hole of poll un-skewing. It may be notable that all the polls taken recently have shown weatherboy/MB leading Yankee/dfw, this could suggest an actual shift in the electorate but uniformity isn't always accuracy. This is an interesting glimpse of the views of the Atlasian electorate, but as with most Atlasian polling healthy scepticism should be applied. Now, the polls are about to open, and now it is time for the Atlasian people to decide how to take Atlasia forward into 2019 and beyond.

I am restarting this, here is a poll on the Fremont Senate race(link (https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/d/19vd5V9-Z87YA9dn34EOOCUZ3LOGSmioGu_1FKwkRYKQ))-this poll is for Fremontians only. In addition, I am happy to do interviews if you wish to be interviewed, if so please get in contact with me.

Remember to get your responses in asap.

The poll had 18 respondents. Senator Sestak leads Federalist challenger KoopaDaQuick. However, this poll seems to have a left-wing lean compared to the wider Fremont electorate, so it is possible it is overestimating Sestak's standing. The picture overall is that Sestak is the favorite in this race, though Koopa does still have a shot at victory. It seems Fremont will continue with its streak of close elections. Voters seem to have very strong support for First Minister YE. President weatherboy's standing is the weakest of all the officials polled, which may be a troubling sign for him, but he is still in positive approval in the nation's swing region. These results, as usual, have plenty of interesting tidbits and room for interpretation. Now, we wait for the results of the biggest and most important poll.

*This question had 17 responses.
**This question had 17 responses.

Was this poll weighted based on party affiliation?

No.

The Atlasian Post is doing an early poll of the February 2019 presidential election to gauge the electorate's view of this race. Please do this sensibly, as people answering questions to only members of a party that they don't belong to will have their responses deleted and be asked to redo their response. Anyway, here is the link to the poll; https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UsR9bQ7I7QOoy7zSKQtAEzxlGdlK24uRa1aYLmoySdM

Voted.

26 responses so far. Thank you! Keep 'em coming!

These are the results;
Given the decisions of weatherboy1102 and tmthforu94 not to run(and 1184AZ and fhtagn have indicated on Discord that they don't currently intend on running), the February race has come into closer focus in the last few days. Yankee would be the strongest candidate the Federalists could nominate and is the frontrunner in their primary, but as October shows would still be far from guaranteed victory. The door may indeed now be open for LouisvilleThunder to run for President, and more broadly the Federalists seem to have an open field and many potential candidates(but not necessarily one that would actually appeal to a majority of the electorate). Labor also has a seemingly competitive primary, and indeed weatherboy's decision not to run may be, if anything, a positive development for the party. The Alliance's plans are uncertain, though a Ninja0428 candidacy seems like the most likely outcome at this time. While Ninja seems like he'd take more votes from the left than the right, it's unclear whether this would be a negative for the Labor candidate(eg Spiral voters in February 2018 who only preferenced Spiral despite being left-leaning), or a positive development(by turning out more left-leaning voters and boosting the Labor candidate on the final round), or indeed ultimately not of much impact. There seems to be some dissatisfaction with the present status quo, but at the same time it is unclear if this will be enough to deny Labor a second term and it may well be able to effectively get out its voters and score a win in a left-leaning electorate as it did in October and December. Time will tell what the ultimate outcome is, the fun is only just beginning.

Quoting this piece of ground-breaking journalism.

Like I said in the other two threads. This is stupid.

What happened exactly ?

Il parait qu'il y a une dispute entre wxtransit et YT et que Alliance ne veut plus coopérer avec YT du coup.

Oui, mais pas seulement avec moi

The Atlasian Post is running the February elections poll #2. Please make sure to respond to it, the more responses the better! Here is the link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nwZ_69Bu_IN4ceKSzu-knk7NG7PEovKnrGCKwDBKn_I) to the poll. Note when responding please give a username, and if you are deregistered your response will not be counted.

Voted.

17 respondents so far!

I have a new poll, same ground rules as #2. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11m7WSoEWYrQUjsMgIfMSxIClwa5M4YBcZvGi9JbClpo. Btw, I forgot about the previous one sorry so it won't be published, it's very out of date now anyway, but hopefully we can have an up to date, and dare I say it remotely accurate poll with this one.

Whoever is doing it please stop posting trollish responses, some of which are just personal insults towards me. Such responses are not going to be counted, so it is a waste of your time to post them as well as wasting my time by making me delete them. On the bright side, I already have 17(!) valid responses.

(I'm in a very historical sort of mood. And the first person to get the reference gets a cookie.)
"Pericles entered Atlasia under the rather childish delusion that he was going to attack everyone else, and nobody was going to attack them. Against fhtagn, Louisville Thunder, Young Texan, and half a hundred other people, he put his rather naive theory into operation. He sowed the wind, and now he is going to reap the whirlwind."

27 responses so far-keep 'em coming!

Due to Sestak's withdrawal and deregistration, this poll is out of date and is no longer accepting responses. However, as it received 37 responses, it provides an interesting look at the race and so it is still worth publishing imo-that is what my next post will be about.

What do you think is your biggest accomplishment in your time as an office-holder in Atlasia(not just the Senate but generally)? If you can't name one single accomplishment then 2 or 3 would be fine.
Hmm, at any rate the accomplishment I'm most proud of is having been the swing vote that got the HELIOS Act passed. It's a bill that has helped a lot of low income Atlasians and it would not have passed without me.

Secondly, what do you see as the biggest challenges facing Atlasia at this time, and what have you done in the Senate and will do if you're re-elected to help overcome those challenges?
I think our biggest challenges are A) we've had a serious lack of leadership during Weatherboy's term B) how to balance helping Atlasians with fighting the national debt and C) the game becoming increasingly hostile. The first challenge I believe will resolve itself. Our very ineffective president Weatherboy is leaving office in a few weeks, and the candidates vying to replace him, TM for the Federalists and YE for the left, are both very talented and likeable politicians with solid records who are very qualified for the presidency. Of course I'm supporting TM, because his record as Southern Governor speaks for itself, he's been very effective in getting common sense policy passed, along with amending the constitution and has broad appeal, I think he's the right leader to bring Atlasians together again and to put Atlasia back on the right track. Atlasia is heading towards better days.

For the second challenge, I want to fight against wasteful spending, as I believe that our debt is a serious problem, but I also realize that if well designed, some programs are worth some spending, as they can really vastly improve Atlasians' lives, and that's why I've been a big supporter of getting paid medical leave passed, even though I've voted against many other bills increasing government spending. I hope to have a bill passed soon.

And finally, for the last challenge, I plan on leading by example. I have a good relationship with several left-wing politicians like YE, Sestak (who unfortunately left the game the other day) and Pericles. I'm happy to work with them on worthwhile projects and I have the utmost respect for them and will act accordingly.

So, what do you believe is your biggest strength, and also what is your biggest weakness(or area for improvement)?
My biggest strength I believe is my willingness to vote for what is right, even if that means taking some stances that might be unpopular, or by crossing party lines to support a good bill. What I'd like to improve on is writing bills. I haven't written many but I'd love to write some bills in order to contribute as much as I can to the game. I do have a couple of ideas but I need to figure out how to write them correctly.

What are the main points you would like voters to know about your upcoming Senate race and why they should vote for you over your opponent Wulfric?
Well, first of all I am very experienced. I served 3 terms as a delegate in the Southern Chamber, 2 in the Atlasian House and I'm coming to the end of my 1st term in the Senate. I've gotten to learn how Nyman politics work and I've formed good relations with members of both parties, which is a big advantage when it comes to wanting to make Nyman productive and get things done.
Second of all, voters know what they're getting with me, they don't know what they're getting with Wulfric. Although I have good relations with left-wing politicians, and I'm willing to cross the aisle for certain bills, I've always been loyal to the Federalist Party. And that's what people know me as, a moderate conservative who is willing to work with the other party on certain projects. Wulfric on the other hand seems to kind of be everywhere. I know he was an independent until Weatherboy was elected (more or less, I don't remember the exact dates), then he switched to Labor and now if I recall correctly he endorsed TM for President. At least with me you know what you're getting, not with Wulfric. He's a good guy who I respect and wish well, but I'm stating what I and others think.

And then I know one line of attack Wulfric will use against me, my activity issues in November. As I've explained previously IRL I didn't have access to the Internet (my smartphone broke) for a little bit and thus couldn't connect to Atlas, but once that issue got resolved I came back and I've been active ever since. You can count on me to represent you effectively in the Senate.

What are your views on game reform? What are your thoughts on recent reform proposals such as the adoption of a parliamentary system?
I need to study the question more, but my understanding is it's basically a question of semantics; isn't the FM of Fremont directly elected just like say the Southern Governor? At any rate that's what it looked like to me when I looked at the Fremont voting booth. I'm not sure it would really change anything, but I'm willing to be convinced otherwise, if pro-parliamentarians can show me how it's different from the current system and how switching to a parliamentary system (like Fremont's or otherwise) would improve the game.

As an extra game reform question; what is your opinion on the culture of the game, and do you believe Atlasia is living up the idea of being a 'More Welcoming Atlasia' right now?
Frankly it seems like there are some issues with the culture in Atlasia right now, I'd like to see less fighting and more civility. The question is, how can we achieve that? I don't have the answer to that, but I can at least do my part and be civil with all Atlasians, as I've always been.

Beyond the upcoming Senate race, what are your future plans in Atlasia?
I definitely plan on staying active in the game. I'm not going to make any promises now but I very much enjoy the Senate, I think it's a place that suits me well and where I can do a good job serving Atlasians. I'll definitely do my part to serve Atlasia, whether that be in the Senate or otherwise, but I'd like to stay in the Senate.

Do you have any final comments about anything in particular?
I'd like to wish all candidates running next weekend good luck. I also hope this interview has given the voters a better understanding of me. And I'm looking forward to working with the next administration (hopefully a TM lead administration with Lumine as VP, I think it would be an absolutely incredible administration) to improve Atlasia, if the voters give me an opportunity to represent them again. And remember to go vote!

Thank you for doing this interview.
Thank you for having me!

The Atlasian Post-February 2019 federal race ratings
Presidency
Lean tmthforu94/Lumine
tmthforu94's campaign has strong momentum, having united the Federalist Party behind it, secured the Montfortian vote and already picked up several lefty defections. The race remains unpredictable due to the recent instability in the field and the emergence of the YE/Jimmy7812 ticket, however while this may do slightly better or wose than the Sestak/YE ticket would have done there  doesn't seem to have been a change to the overall picture and tmthforu has the advantage due to his widespread popularity and the high likelihood of significant left-wing defections to his candidacy, greater than those received by Yankee/dfwlibertylover in October 2018.

Lincoln Senate
Lean Labor
Lincoln remains a region that favors the left. The entrance of Representative LouisvilleThunder into the race is likely to sideline Poirot and Misteeer as the right-wing vote will now consolidate behind him, and his opening campaign posts have been effective. However he is a controversial and at times divisive figure, and there doesn't seem to have been enough of a change in Lincoln for the outcome to be different from the last two Senate races, so tack50 has to be rated as the favorite in this race.

Fremont Senate
Likely Labor
After ON Progressive's primary win, significant opposition to his candidacy is yet to emerge. He is also popular in the region, which has had an advantage for left-wing candidates recently. Indeed as Lumine's Senate run showed even if a candidate consolidated the right-wing vote and picked off swing and some left-wing voters they could still fall short(though it is possible a right-wing candidate has better odds in Fremont now than at the end of November 2018). Due to the unpredictability of Fremont races, it seems foolish to rate this race as Safe Labor however the odds are clearly in Labor's favor here.

South Senate
Likely Federalist
Senator Lechasseur has a strong advantage in this race, and is relatively popular in the region and is not a divisive figure. Wulfric's candidacy has stumbled with losing the Peace endorsement and speculation that he would shift right after the election and his forum-wide posting history make him a risky bet for Labor. While the possibility remains that he could get some crossover votes, given Lechasseur's popularity, the possibility of left-wing defections and that this is at the same time as the presidential election makes Wulfric the heavy underdog in this Federalist-leaning region.

People's House
Lean No Overall Majority
Given the wide field for the House, including with 2 high profile candidates who are no longer linked to either major party, the odds of any party forming an overall majority appear low. If an overall majority were formed it would probably be by Labor and Peace as they are backing their 5 candidates while matthew27's candidacy is unlikely to get much support. However the recent entry(as I was writing this post) of Zaybay to the House race has further confused things as that would likely create an oversupply of left-wing candidates, though it's possible he will soon withdraw. The field for the House remains unsettled, but it is more likely than not that neither the Labor-Peace combination or the Federalist bloc will get a majority.

Isn't ON progressive's only challenger technically coming from the left?

Yeah but to win they need a bunch of right wing votes, plus a right winger may enter late or run as a write in.

The more canadiates run, the less votes I get. If the two mega parties decide to have candidates, you need to have built a personal following to have a chance.

The final poll is now out-link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PO1oqaZhWOLYqeMRmwnIVimwx3qsuTVG7xF1v2mwsdI). Please make sure to give a response, that would be greatly appreciated and we haven't gotten much info on the current matchup given the recent chaos with the tickets.

14 responses so far, some more would be great!

Not much luck with responses so far, only 16 responses; https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PO1oqaZhWOLYqeMRmwnIVimwx3qsuTVG7xF1v2mwsd. I'll probably still publish the results but unless there are a lot more the previous poll, albeit with the wrong left-wing ticket, will probably be a more reliable indicator.

Seems like the poll got deleted?

Ah no wrong link, here's the right one(I think); https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PO1oqaZhWOLYqeMRmwnIVimwx3qsuTVG7xF1v2mwsdI

This poll did not go as well as intended, with only 17 responses(all questions have 17 responses unless stated otherwise). It seems there have been far too many polls this election, and my gut feeling is that the previous poll is a more accurate gauge of public feeling(though there will likely have been some changes due to Sestak deregistering and YE taking the top of the ticket). Anyway, here are the results;

Lechasseur, did interview with The Atlasian Post; WON!
Wulfric, declined interview with The Atlasian Post; LOST!

Coincidence? I think NOT!

You served for a short time in the Southern Chamber of Delegates, how does that experience help inform voters about what the prospect of Senator tack50 would be like?

First of all, I'd like to thank you for giving me this interview. It's nice to be here tonight. Indeed as you say I served for  a short time in the Southern Chamber of Delegates. In the Senate I will keep up the hard work I did in the South, proposing amendments and bills, debating and voting them and overall being an active legislator.

In terms of policy my time in the South is also helpful, as it provides some insight at least in some of my policies, including transportation and energy, where I will keep fighting for a transition towards clean energy to fight climate change and for better education.

One of the more common things I did while in the South was to try and amend bills that looked unlikely to be passed (if the sponsor agreed of course), in order for them to have a better chance of passage. I will not to be a divisive and polarizing figure, that's probably the last thing Lincoln and Atlasia currently need.
Ok, so relating to policy, given you're a relatively new presence in the game, can you outline for voters how you view your ideology and the kind of worldview you will approach decisions with in the Senate?

In terms of ideology, I generally define myself as a centre-left social democrat. I'm both socially liberal and economically liberal, but I'm far from an extremist. In the economy, I recognize there's a place for the government to help the lives of all citizens through social programs and appropriate levels of taxation, but like with everything, too much of one thing can be harmful. On social issues I generally take a hands-off approach, where as long as it doesn't harm anybody, it's fine with me. However we must still fight discrimination wherever it exists. In general I feel the weak and the people left out by the system  need protection, help and support.

In the Senate I will bring a moderate left wing voice that tries to improve the lives of the weak in society, but I will also work with both sides of the aisle to solve those problems. I have already served with president-elect TM in the South and if elected I'm looking forwards to serving with him again.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Atlasia at this time, and how do you plan to help overcome these challenges if you are elected to the Senate?

There are currently several problems facing Atlasia.

The first I would like to mention is activity. This is a problem that's especially important here in Lincoln, though thankfully things seem to be getting better.  On paper, game reform can make things more exciting, and thus more attractive for players. We've seen this with the Philadelphia plan, and I'll be watching carefully to see how it unfolds in the long term. Another option which might be better suited for the federal government might be to make the game friendlier to interact with for beginners, especially for people who are out of office. That would increase the pool of interactions by including less active private citizens who might be quite inactive and might not want to run for office, and would also increase Atlasia's population by attracting new players.

The second problem, and probably a more important one, is the tense atmosphere that has developed in Atlasia recently. We have seen a lot more personal attacks, drama and smear campaigns than we ever should. The incident involving Lumine the night after the election is probably a good example Some people have even left the game altogether because of this! We can't allow such behavior to continue in Atlasia, and if elected I will work to create a much better atmosphere for everyone. We must take the game seriously enough that it isn't only a meme or a joke, but I feel a lot of people take it to the other extreme and take things personally and way too seriously. It's too easy in the internet to forget that there's someone else on the other side of the screen.

Finally another problem, and one I feel isn't mentioned enough, is the budget process. I feel the current budget process is too complex and hard to understand. I realize that real life budgets are also complex and a simplified one is probably be unrealistic, but we should still try to keep budgets comprehensible to the average Atlasian.
Following on from that, game reform is an issue that comes up routinely, and in particular there have been proposals for a parliamentary system in Atlasia. What are your thoughts on how the game could be reformed and in particular what is your opinion on shifting to a parliamentary system?

I support the shift to a parliamentary system in Lincoln, but I do not support it for the federal government. There are several reasons. First, a majority of Atlasians are real life Americans, so a presidential style government is probably more appealing and interesting than a parliamentary system for that majority of Atlasians. Secondly, a presidential system is more interesting to watch because of the stronger separation of powers, which means a higher degree of interaction between the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The interesting aspects of parliamentary systems are just harder to simulate. Finally, I believe the stronger separation of powers is preferable to the advantages of parliamentarism, namely, less gridlock.

I do support regions that want to switch to parliamentary systems, like Fremont did or like Lincoln is about to do; especially to solve activity crises (not like it's the only way to solve them). However a presidential system can also have a lot of activity and be interesting to watch. The South is a really good example of a presidential region that works really well. In general regions can be more experimental, so parliamentarism should start at the regional level.

However one game reform I fully support  and would like to tackle is vice presidential reform. I personally would like to see Vice Presidents be more involved with running the government, not just working to pass bills from one chamber to another. Another good option is having separate elections for president and vice president instead of electing them on a single ticket.
What do you think is the main contrast between you and Louisville Thunder for the upcoming Senate race? Why should voters vote for you rather than him?
The main contrast I think is one of attitude. Louisville Thunder has been a very divisive figure in the House. His reaction to the election certification was also another example of the tense atmosphere that has arrived to Atlasia in recent times. If Louisville Thunder is elected, the Senate will be a more partisan chamber with tenser debates, which will have a negative effect both in terms of legislation and in terms of atmosphere.

Meanwhile I will try to get along with all my Senate colleagues, no matter their party affiliation or ideology. I got along with everyone in the Southern Chamber of Delegates regardless of party; and I expect to do the same in the Senate.

We also have differences in policy, but in all honesty, differences in policy are easy to deal with. Whether it's by debates, amendments, or even just plain bipartisanship and a friendly disposition, policy differences are a lot easier to solve. If Louisville Thunder is elected, I expect him to have a much worse working relation with the Labor senators than I would with the Fed senators.
What do you believe is your biggest strength, and also what is your biggest weakness(or area for improvement)?
My biggest strength is my biggest weakness as well. That is, my relative lack of experience. This is both a good an a bad thing. On one hand it brings a new perspective into the game and prevents things from becoming stale, but on the other it means that many of my interactions will be of lesser quality as I get accustomed to life in Atlasia.

In particular because of my real life background I believe I'm strong in issues of infrastructure, transportation and to a lesser extent education; but that does also mean I'm weaker in other issues like in particular the parts of the government more directly related to lawmaking like business codes, civil codes, and the like.

However this is an issue that will solve itself over time, as I hopefully stay more time in Atlasia. The new perspective will remain, as every player brings something to the table, but my interactions will become of greater quality, while I expect my weaker policy points to become stronger just by taking part in Congress debates; while still being strong on my stronger policy positions.
The issue of the deficit has come up, and your opponent Louisville Thunder supported a balanced budget amendment. What is your position on the deficit, if you want to reduce it how would you try to accomplish that, and how might you try and balance it with other policy priorities?
Well, I do not support a balanced budget amendment as it can tie the government's hands up unnecesarily, especially in cases of emergency or recessions, but I'd definitely be willing to compromise on the issue (for example, requiring supermajorities for unbalanced budgets or not allowing deficits higher than a certain percentage). Deficits can be necessary under certain circumstances but they are not something to be proud of.

Unfortunately, if we want to reduce the deficit there are only really 2 real ways: cutting government spending or raising taxes (or a combination of both). While I'm sure there are some minor areas where we can cut spending or make it more efficient, for the most part if we truly want to reduce the deficit the only real way to do so would be tax increases. Cutting government spending would require downsizing or eliminating government programs which would hurt the people most in need in our nation.

I support trying to keep the current deficit levels first, and if we first succeed at that, then we can start trying to actively lower the deficit, but we must also keep in mind that large surpluses are also harmful to the economy as they indicate idle capacity (though nowhere near as much as large deficits of course)

In any case, the deficit won't be a big priority for me. I will try to reduce it as much as possible while not doing policies that harm the poor and needful in Atlasia. However if my colleagues in the Senate want to tackle deficit control I will be more than glad to take part in the discussion and pass legislation that helps reduce the deficit.


Yes, I hope that no matter what happens in the end with the election, we can all come together as Lincolnites and Atlasians. This last election cycle has been a very weird and stressful thing for everyone involved up and down the ticket. Let's try to close it on a good note.
Ok thank you for participating in this interview.
Thank you too!

I have decided, following my re-registration and a resounding public vote in favor of the following course of action on the lokcord, to revive The Atlasian Post. I will start by conducting an interview, and if you do want to be interviewed please PM me. I may also reach out to you, I hope you accept my invitation in that case and we can better inform the players of the game and boost Atlasian journalism.

Hello, Mr. Pericles
Welcome, Assemblyman. To begin, what do you think is your biggest accomplishment in your time on the Lincoln Council so far?
I believe that my biggest accomplishment has to be fulfilling my campaign promises of introducing legislation that I promised. While some of it failed, I am confident that I can get one of the two bills up for debate passed.

Secondly, what do you think are the biggest challenges facing Lincoln at this time, and what have you done to help Lincoln overcome those challenges?
The biggest challenge has to be the fact that we have spent exorbitantly, because we have been lacking a budget for nearly two years. I had suggested trying to do the budget in pieces, such as taxes and then one bill for spending, and putting it together. Also, I am going to definitely going to introduce amendments to the budget when it comes to a vote

What would you consider your biggest strength, and what would you consider your biggest weakness (or area for improvement)?
My biggest strength is certainly my brand of moderation. I have been attacked for it, but I think it is important to have politics that appeal to people of different parties. Also, I feel that I am effective at being a legislator, and have been a very active one. Weaknesses include not recognizing sarcasm. This has been pointed out to me by members of both parties. They say that I have somewhat of a robotic personality. While this does not seem important, people like to mock me for it, and make it into a serious issue, to solve it I would probably try to talk on a more collected, calm personality, especially when it appears that the person in question will mock me.

Your office thread ended up extending up to 20 pages. Why do you think people took such an interest in your thread and why you, as a newcomer to Atlasia, have gotten so much attention?
Well the truth is when I ran for office, I promised toll roads as an infrastructure improvement and gun control as campaign promises. I held a town hall to fulfill another campaign promise. However, I expected to be attacked by my party on gun control, but I did not expect the great uproar from the left. So I was constantly attacked from all sides, and tried to respond to attacks, which resulted in me making some controversial statements. For example, due to a misinterpreted statement my gun control bill became known as the "Watermelon Knife Bill," it was a derogatory nickname, and while I know that those who coined it did not have malignant intentions, the term "Watermelon Knife," has largely led to an ostracization of me, and ends up in countless posts of me being mocked, including outside of Atlasia.

Your tax plans have been controversial-while flat taxes have some precedent it's hard to find much precedent for an actively regressive tax system as you have proposed. Can you explain the logic behind this, and why you consider your tax plans economically efficient and fair?
I have stated many times that my original tax bill does not reflect my views, because it limits the American Dream. I do not support that bill. My current bill gives minor tax cuts to most people, and actually eliminates taxes on the poor. The thing is though, we need to have a debate on tax reform. The liberal majority currently in power is planning on raising taxes to get us out of a deficit. But the truth is that the reckless spending that allowed that deficit should have never happened. Our focus should be on cutting wasteful spending, and then on top of that, the left has introduced a single-payer bill, which will further dent the budget, forcing even higher taxes. I believe that the left should not be raising taxes on people to cover for the government's reckless spending. As for my original tax bill, I would have voted it down, in that form, on the day that I wrote it. That bill did not reflect my views, instead it was intended to pacify conservatives. Obviously, it didn't work, but I was always vehemently opposed to regressive taxes.

What is your view on Governor Peanut's job performance?
I think that the Governor has done a good job. However, I do wish that he makes some exceptions to his campaign pledge of not vetoing bills. This applies to bills from the far-left and the far-right. For instance, if the regressive tax bill somehow passes the Council, I would like it if the Governor vetoed it. On the other hand, if the left's single-payer bill passes, I would also like it if the Governor vetoes that. However, if he breaks the pledge I would want it to be bipartisan. Also the Governor has done a very good job of appealing to people of the other party.

What is your view on Lincoln's adoption of the Philadelphia plan? Do you think Lincoln's system of government should be changed in some form, or that things are fine right now?
I support the Philadelphia Plan. The Lincoln Assembly was a broken system that did not work. For example in November or December, the entire Assembly was recalled. However, I oppose the recent attempts to give the majority party greater power in the Council. For instance, the filibuster was repealed, and now legislation can be jammed through on a party-line vote. Also, there is a currently a debate to reduce the size of the Council, which would make it much harder for new people to enter the game. I think the Philadelphia Plan was fine before the filibuster repeal, and I support reinstating the filibuster and making no further changes.

If you were to run for higher office, what do you think you would have to offer the people of Lincoln and Atlasia?
If I ran for higher office, I feel I can bring people together. I feel that I can transcend the polarizing boundaries of politics and reach out to Federalists and Laborites. I can appeal to the disgruntled centrists, who see an increase in partisan polarization. I can turn back the clock to an era of compromise and moderation. To an era when centrism was seen as an asset, not a liability. I can also move us into the next generation. Issues like climate change and education have been ignored for so long, I will work to help us fight off the worst effects of climate change, and I will work to standardize the education system. I will also work to end school shootings by supporting common-sense gun reform which is long overdue. I will cut taxes, for all Atlasians/Lincolnites, not just the top 1%, and I will reduce wasteful government spending, as there is no point of spending money on a program that is unnecessary. If I ran, my platform would give us the best of the past and look to the future.

Do you have any other comments on public issues that you would like the people of Lincoln to see?
I would like Lincoln to know that I have worked hard for them since Day 1. I would like them to know, that there are so many issues that face us right now. We cannot be complacent in the face of climate change, which is why I have introduced a cap-and-trade bill to limit emissions. We must fight the scourge of gun violence, which is why I am working with the Speaker on a gun control bill. I would like Lincoln to know that our best days are still ahead of us, and that we must remain vigilant as we head into the future. We cannot be complacent, we must be active in solving these problems that will affect not only us, but our children, and our grandchildren.

(follow-up question) Given that you have portrayed yourself as a moderate, yet some positions you have taken may be seen as extreme and some have questioned whether you are a moderate, can you discuss a bit more in-depth your ideological views and why you think moderation and centrism are the terms that fit your views?
I have utilized views from the left and right. I have blended them together to create a moderate, but still right-leaning view. I have also frequently diverged from the party line, and voted with the left. However, at the same time I have been conservative on issues like taxes. My views are liberal on issues like gun control and education. I am a centrist on climate change. My views are a concoction of centrist, rightist, and leftist views, therefore it is appropriate to categorize me as a moderate.

Thanks for participating in this interview.
Thank you, Mr. Pericles.

What do you think is your biggest accomplishment in your time as President of Atlasia so far ? If you can't name one single accomplishment then 2 or 3 would be fine.
Our biggest accomplishment has been returning stability and normalcy to the executive branch. It basically did not exist while Weatherboy was president. Under our administration there has been activity on all fronts. Biggest accomplishments in terms of policy? Passing the budget and improving relationships with China.

Secondly, what do you see as the biggest challenges facing Atlasia at this time, and what have you done as President  to help overcome those challenges?
I think the biggest challenge is tying in a policy-driven element to this game - that has probably been the challenge since the dawn of the game. I don't think I've been able to fully crack it, but I'd like to say it has improved. This is an elections simulation game at its core and it always should be, but if the game just comes down to a battle of who can register the most recruits and who can do the best GOTV, what is the point? Both sides are guilty of trying to load up on registrations right before an election and just use people for their votes - party's should do more to develop new players. A player's accomplishments/record matters less compared to party registration - prime example: Weatherboy completely flopped as President, yet so many in his party stood by him and are now endorsing his candidacy for Southern Governor. Sad!

What plans do you have, if any, for your time in Atlasia once you leave the White House? Do you plan to run for public office or take a break from active politics?
I plan to stay involved, though as I said in my announcement to not run again, I think it is time to step aside from higher elected office and let a new wave of Atlasians take over. Lots of qualified people on both sides. That being said, if a vacancy occurs or there is no one else willing to, I'd be open to it. I think there is a lot that can be done as a private citizen, though, to help further the game.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming presidential election so far? Given that you have endorsed Young Texan/Vern, do you have a message for voters as to why they should vote for them over other tickets, or indeed a more general message voters should see?
I think Young Texan and Vern are new voices that have the experience to do the job well. Four months ago, the executive branch was in shambles, which is why I felt compelled to step up and make a difference, despite being a longtime player. I'd like to see new folks get a shot from both sides and think they would continue to build off the successes of our administration. From a game standpoint, I think having a center-right president in the game has it's perks as due to registration advantage, Labor and Peace are highly likely to continue their hold on the House. I think working with divided government has been a perk post-reset, where as before it was often lopsided.

What is your biggest regret from your time as President?
It's hard to motivate cabinet members to want to do their job well, I don't know how to do it. I think part of it ties into the fact this is an election simulation and cabinet positions aren't elected. There was a lot more I'd like to do, but honestly I can't do it on my own and my cabinet hasn't always been able to step up and help when needed. I know this probably isn't the best message to give while still in office, but I've been a straight-shooter and it's just the truth. I count this as a personal failure for being unable to motivate.

To be frank, I know approval polls are just popularity contents, but it is frustrating that I have worked my tail off and my approval ratings are lower than cabinet members and other elected officials who are barely doing their job or just showing up to vote.

A notable feature of your term is that Congress finally managed to pass a budget. In the future, with the full state of the budget known, what specific changes would you like to see made in the 2020 budget?
I haven't fully looked at it since I knew I would not be the president that would pass the 2020 budget. My focus was just on getting 2019 done so that the next president wouldn't have the same mess that I inherited. I definitely think there needs to be an increase in space funding - that is something we may try to accomplish this session.

Recently, 1184AZ resigned as Attorney General (and deregistered), and his tenure as AG was rather controversial (and his approval rating in admittedly unreliable Atlasia polls was low). Can you give the public more insight into the circumstances of his resignation and answer whether there is any context to it that is not public knowledge?
Sure, AZ reached out to me saying he'd like to step away from the position and take a break from Atlasia all-together, I accepted his resignation and wished him the best. It was very cordial and respectful. I will say that I think generally it has been difficult to fill the AG position - unless something changes, I don't intend on appointing an AG for the remainder of the term - should a court case arise, I will appoint someone to represent the federal government.

The Vice-Presidential Election amendment, do you have any plans to proceed further on the issues the Senate debate raised? In particular, would you support Speaker Jimmy's proposed amendment to have special elections for when the Vice-Presidency goes vacant (without electing the position separately from the presidency in regular elections).
I was disappointed the amendment failed but not surprised - it is difficult to pass substantial game reform without a Constitutional Convention. I don't plan on trying it again for the remainder of the term.

Do you have anything else you would like to say to the Atlasian public in this interview?
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as YOUR President!

As Chair of the ACLO, what do you consider to be the biggest challenges to your goals and to the interests of working people?
The opposition by owners and the politicians in their pockets. Specifically, the rise of the Atlasian Conservative Party could bring in creeping setbacks to workers’ rights and general austerity.

What legislation and actions by the next President would you like to see in the next term?
Bringing about workplace democracy and improving the living standards of all Atlasians in a fair manner. The fact that stakeholders have such weak ability to beat back corporate assault is testament to the actual reality in this nation.

The previous Prolocutor, Bagel23, was widely criticized for his job performance, from defending right-winger Ben Kenobi and endorsing right to work. Can you explain in more detail your opinion of his performance and the circumstances that led him to resign as Prolocutor?
The tenure of Prolocutor Bagel23 did have blemishes. He foolishly supported the nebulously named Right-To-Work laws and supported less than savory characters. However, he aided in the creation of this union, created the nice symbol of the A.C.L.O.  and worked to endorse mostly common sense legislation. With him bringing forth such mixed signals, it ultimately began to seem that this union was counter-intuitive, depressing support and ultimately leading him to resign to save the union at large.

Do you plan to run for elected office in the future, and what are your future plans for your time in Atlasia?*
Possibly, I’ll probably go for a local position in Lincoln. In the meantime, this union’s growth and my involvement in other pressure groups are my priority.

What is your opinion on how the June presidential campaign has progressed?
It could be more better communicated with the wider public as well as more policy focused. I expect that will be satisfied with the first debate this month. One gripe I have is the narrow intentions and policies so far.

Adam Griffin questioned the ACLO's relevance due to the existence of the Labor Party. What role do you see the ACLO filling that Labor cannot, and how do you think the ACLO can appeal to those who do not support Labor, rather than being a puppet of the Labor Party?
While the Labor Party states that they do support the working class, both organizations are very different. We are a nonpartisan union to the Left of all parties related to bread and butter policy planks. After all, I see no proclamation from Adam Griffin to introduce workplace democracy. Furthermore, we have union cadres being able to strike, as we believe in a multifaceted approach to our rights than just electoral means.

We will take independent action distant from the Labor Party, being willing to bring forth criticism whenever our rights are threatened. To those that don’t support Labor, know that we are distinct organizations already separated by organization, tactics, and even in having different common goals that we will work toward with genuine conviction.

Do you have any other comments you wish to make for the Atlasian public?
I am looking forward to helping serve the working class Atlasians whenever I can, a part of that is just being out there. For any questions, collaborations, or commentary y’all can just contact me in a multitude of ways.

What drove you to run for President in this election? Can you give the voters some insight into how you reached the decision to run?
Well, as I’m sure you know, I was hesitant on running for President. I came to run for President because numerous people had asked me to do so. After conversations with friends in game I came to the conclusion that I ought to run for the Presidency and so now here we are!

So that leads into my next question-your campaign slogan and a key part of your message is 'new voices, new vision'. This might seem to contrast with the current President given he is a very experienced player. So how come you think there is a need for 'new voices, new vision' at this time in Atlasia, and can you explain more what this message actually means for Atlasia?
I think because I’m at the top of the ticket, I’m a new player relatively speaking compared to Griffin who’s been active since 2012 and Tmth even longer. Now don’t misconstrue my message, it’s in no way a dig at the President, he’s done a lot of good for the country for this term and I thank him. But I think Atlasia needs newer voices to come into the fray which is another reason why I was nudged to run. “New Voices, New Vision” means I want to try lifting up newer players and making sure opportunity exists for them. I think I give that new voice and I’ve always been a proponent of new players running for offices and getting them to hold cabinet and council jobs.

With your vice-presidential selection, can you explain why you think Vern is the best person to be your Vice President for the coming term (especially given last election you had two running mates at different times, neither of whom was Vern)?
Well, I’ve always known Vern to be a hard worker and a stand up guy, I knew he’d be good for the role as Vice President. He’s a good manager of things and with my experience with him, I think he’d make a fantastic Vice President.

You also pointed to your experience as Southern Governor in your announcement as a qualification for the presidency. So, can you give some key accomplishments from your time in that role and your opinion on how you have done as Governor so far?
A big accomplishment I would say was the budget and having that completed as well. My casino and gambling initiative which is now law was a big deal and a big accomplishment as well. I’d also point to how we’ve cracked down on pill pushers within the Southern region and the great things we’ve done regarding infrastructure as well. Another thing was I worked with former Delegate Wulfric on getting Paygo through the chamber and into law as well. Now as for how I think I’ve done as Governor, I’d say I’ve done good and judging from the people electing me twice I’d say they’re in agreement with me.

With your campaign, since your announcement you have made very few posts in your campaign thread or set out your policies and vision in greater detail. I will ask you about your policies soon, but do you plan to run a more active campaign in the remainder of the election and do you think that you have been up front with the voters so far about what they will get if you win the presidency?
I think most of the voters know what they’ll get from a YT administration but I pledge to be a bit more active in campaigning. I’ve been working out real life issues and thankfully as I’m adjusting to my new work schedule I think it will work out very well.

(follow-up) Ok, but to be clear these issues aren't big enough to hamper you if you were President, are you confident you will be able to commit the time to make your presidency a success?
I’ve had to adjust my time management but I do not think my real life will clash with the game if I become President. I’m confident if I’m elected as the next President I will have a successful term in office.

What is your agenda for the presidency and what will be your top priorities for when you take office (ideally top 3 or 4 priorities)?
The budget will be a high priority and I will keep chipping away at that deficit so we have a fiscally responsible Atlasia. Energy independence is something I’ve been looking at as well and I have an interest in achieving that. I think broadly speaking for priorities you’ll also see some infrastructure plans coming among other things we will be doing in my administration.

(follow-up)Are there any specific changes you'd like to see in the budget? Do you have any tax cut plans or areas where you would want to either cut or raise spending?
Well, I want to look at funding as a whole and really go over every detail in the budget and if elected I’ll dedicate time to do so to slash spending. I think there’s some areas we could do a little more spending in, like space for instance. As for tax cuts, once our deficit mess is fixed I want to look into tax cuts, specifically for the middle class.

(follow-up)So are you saying there will be no tax cuts until the deficit is substantially lower than it is right now, so probably not in your first term?
Well, I never want to rule out a tax cut, it is entirely possible we get one during my term as President of Atlasia. I am going to be extremely responsible on our fiscal issues as we should be very careful on these matters.

Also, with energy independence, what policies would you use to achieve it, and how would you seek to balance protecting the environment with protecting the economy and jobs and growth of Atlasia?
Well, we’re going to be encouraging all forms of energy, so when I say energy independence, I don’t just mean with oil. Renewable energy is a growing part of the energy sector and is critically important to the future. Ways in which we will be going at this is working with companies in the energy sector by giving them benefits and lowering taxes for them so they’ll have more encouragement. You mentioned the environment as well, when in office I will make sure to keep our environment as clean as possible. As someone who spends a lot of time in the outdoors, the issue is near to my heart.

What is your assessment of the current state of the game as a whole? Do you believe that it is sufficiently welcoming, and do any improvements/reforms need to be made to the game to make it work better (if so, what improvements do you have in mind)?
I think the current state of the game is alright, there’s some things I would prefer I did not see like with what Speaker Jimmy had said regarding one of Representative fhtagn's bills. It was a step in the right direction when he apologized and realized he was wrong but I think it just set a bad tone. I think the game overall still has some ways to go in making it better for everyone. I’ve tried my hardest to be welcome and open to new players always, left or right, and I will continue to do so. If elected as President I will maintain the reform council and task it with finding ways to better our community as well. This game means a lot to me and I want to see it running at 100% efficiency!

What are your plans for the cabinet, do you have any ideas about who will serve in your cabinet and do you have any plans to re-structure the cabinet if you win?
Well, I’ve often thought that it would be better to merge the position of Registrar General and Secretary of Federal Elections together. As for the cabinet at large, I have thought about who I’d like to serve, but will have a very open application process for the administration as well.

What do you think is your biggest regret from your time in Atlasia, and what have you learned from it?
My biggest regret would have to be not doing more to get President Yankee elected in October, I wish I had done more to help him.

Finally, your candidacy has received support from a wide range of voters. To the wider electorate, and voters who aren't natural Federalists, why do you believe they should also support your candidacy?
If you want someone who’s going to be an independent minded person who’s going to embrace every single side when he’s elected, the choice is clear, I’m your man. I’ve worked with all sides in the south to get things done, left and right, and I’m ready to do that as your President.

Note: Young Texan clarified after the interview was completed that with regards to the deficit he wants to see the federal budget audit out as it is currently in process.

The Atlasian Post's June 2019 elections poll is now available for you to respond to. Please respond so we can have as large of a sample as possible, which means as accurate as possible of an insight into the Atlasian public's views heading into the June 2019 presidential election.
Poll link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1zob657sia6yUU-IemGpaJLTlzFCQRYlE3K_RB1oSDOg)

Go ahead!

Voted.

Just to clarify, the regional questions are already optional, you don't need to clarify that you are not in 2/3 of the regions, you can just answer the question for your region. It is a bit of an inconvenience if I have to sort out proper regional response from responses that are just 'Not a (whichever region the respondent is not in'. Thank you.

What would you consider the biggest challenges facing Atlasia at this time, and what have you done in the House to help Atlasia overcome these challenges?
One of the biggest challenges facing Atlasia I feel rests with those who are too content with major party voting machines turning out and supporting them in elections, regardless of what they may or may not have done in game. We have a problem where people are so focused on elections that they can't be bothered doing their job once they are elected to office. You see that with current Labor and Federalist members of Congress, where most of them don't even bother to debate on bills, and never do anything that fulfills promises they made when they campaigned.

In the House, I've gone out of my way to force people to debate on bills (sadly most of these debates are very low effort from the opposition), be it through consistently pestering people in the thread, and stopping votes until I get an answer to something that people are ignoring. I've also worked hard to deliver on things that I promised I'd do in my campaigns, because without action, words are meaningless. The problem is, I shouldn't have to force debate to happen, both the Federalist Party and the Labor Party need to do more to ensure that their elected officeholders actually do their jobs. Voters need to stop supporting lazy officeholders. This isn't an issue one person can single handedly fix, but it is an issue worth focusing on.

Notably from your time in the House you filed a no-confidence motion in Speaker Jimmy, which was rejected on a party-line vote. Did you believe the no-confidence motion had a reasonable chance of success, and given its failure was it still the right thing to do?
I had hoped that fellow members of the house would have looked past party lines and considered Jimmy's behavior more seriously. Regardless of the outcome, it was the right thing to do. For me, it had nothing to do with partisan leanings. I've had a much more strained relationship with you than I've ever had with Jimmy, and had no reason to file that that motion against you when we served together. If the same circumstances which led to me filing the motion happened another time, I would not hesitate to do it all over again.

You formed an exploratory committee for President before ending it and declaring it a meme. For clarification, did you ever seriously consider running for President this cycle, and is it something you would be open to in future presidential election cycles?
I did not seriously consider running for President this cycle, nor would I really be open to it in the future. I served as President for 2.5 terms consecutively. That's 10 months of my time in this game spent in that role, and I'd be lying if I said that wasn't exhausting. I also learned from that time that I am a much more effective legislator, and would rather continue doing that (at least for right now).

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment from your term in the House so far?
My biggest accomplishment in the House so far was the passing of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which added further protections for law abiding gun owners. It was something I wanted to get to in my previous House terms, and I'm glad to finally have the opportunity to do so.

If the left were to lose its House majority, would you seek a return to the position of Speaker of the House?
My goal with being in the House isn't to climb back into the Speaker role. If the right does manage to obtain a majority, I wouldn't turn down the role if there was a need for me to take it on and no one else was capable to taking on the role, however I am very content with what I'm doing now, and would very happily continue doing that.

The relationship between the Atlas Conservative Party and the Federalist Party has been strained at times. What do you consider to be the fundamental differences between the two parties, and what role does the ACP fill in Atlasian politics that the Federalist Party can't or won't fill?
One of the fundamental differences between us and the Federalist Party is that we are able to stick to conservative values, and actually hold ourselves accountable for doing so. The Federalist Party has become too much of a big tent for some of us, and I get that they need to be. This is a forum that is very predominantly left wing, so there's already a disadvantage for the right. However some of the loudest voices with the most influence in the Federalist Party have been those who truly did not embrace the values we cared for. Unlike the major parties, we aren't setting out goals (at least not yet) of winning the presidency, or winning a majority of seats in federal/regional legislature. We are running people who want to be in office, and getting them elected. One of the roles we fill in Atlasian politics, and really the main role, is that we are the loudest voice for conservative policy-making in this game right now. One of the biggest complaints with current Fed officeholders is they just aren't doing enough to decide on policies and follow through on their promises. I'm proud to have been that voice in the house, and I'm proud that our new Vice Chair, the current Southern Deputy Speaker, and a newbie to the game, Muaddib, has been that voice in the South.

What are your thoughts on the June presidential race and how the campaign has gone so far? Do you have a message for voters to consider as they decide which candidate to support?
I have mixed feelings on the June presidential race. I wouldn't say this is a race I'm particularly excited about, and there are tactics used by both sides that I am not particularly happy with, for example, bussing in personal friends who will only vote for them and either deregister or fall off the rolls by not voting after this month. Nothing about that is good for the game, and both sides know exactly what they are doing wrong by doing it.

As far as any message for voters, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I guess vote your conscience. And I hope that when voters cast their ballots, they actually think to themselves about whether or not their candidate of choice will actually better the game.

You were criticized when you had your exploratory committee for vilifying those you disagree with, rather than seeking the approval of everyone. How do you answer this criticism and do you think that you set a positive example in terms of civility in Atlasian politics?
Having been President for 2.5 terms previously, and really having been in the game in general, I learned that there's no way you can please everyone. Those you can't please are often be outright partisan hacks, or they can be people who just don't like you personally. When I jokingly opened an Exploratory committee, I had no intention of taking it seriously, however that doesn't mean I should do nothing when people want to argue in bad faith about what I'm doing or about the party I've put a lot of effort to. As far as whether or not I've been a positive example as far as civility, I suppose that depends on who you ask. In some ways I certainly have been as much as most others in game have been, in others, I think there are times where it's necessary to be the bad guy. And if that has to be me, so be it. I do take some issue with the fact that some of the loudest voices complaining about civility in this game and my behavior are those currently supporting Adam Griffin, who has done far worse than anything I have in this game. He has made the game very personal for numerous people, including our current president (who chose not to run for reelection because of Adam not being civil) and even myself, such as when he suggested that I only became president by whoring myself out, and targeting my personal relationships with people off Atlasia. I should note that he has since apologized to me, however my point still remains that most of the loudest voices complaining about my behavior prove themselves to be hypocrites when they support Adam Griffin.

Do you have any other comments you want to make for the Atlasian public?
Just do better to hold our officeholders accountable. Make them get active, make them earn their positions. I've already touched up on this in the first question, but there is literally no excuse to have incumbent officeholders that very rarely debate on bills, never propose new legislation, and stick to party lines rather than logic when they vote. This isn't healthy for the game to have people like that, and voters that are still willing to support them. Check with who you endorsed for President, have they addressed this issue? If so, what do they plan to do to hold people accountable for inactivity? These are leaders in their parties, and will soon be overseeing cabinet appointments. Even if they cannot force someone to get active, they need to show they're willing to do something to address this.

22 responses so far-keep 'em coming!

Now up to 33.

40 responses now.

If you haven't taken the poll, please make sure to do so! Very interesting results so far!

Here are The Atlasian Post official ratings for the June 2019 elections, which hopefully will provide a helpful insight into the coming election weekend.

Presidency-Tossup
The presidential race is extremely competitive, and no clear favorite is apparent. Both Young Texan and Adam Griffin have a similar chance of winning the presidency. While the left has a registration advantage, Young Texan is likely to get a significant amount of left-wing defections, particularly from his friends on Discord. However, Griffin is doing better than YE with swing voters and Young Texan's appeal is narrower than tmthforu94's, and the new additions to the electorate in the last four months make the race even more unpredictable. Both sides are expected to have very strong get out the vote operations, which leaves us poised for a fascinating few days.

Fremont Senate-Safe Labor
Frankly, I cannot foresee any plausible circumstances where the left loses this race and the incumbent is not re-elected. Fremont is a heavily left-wing region, as shown by recent election results, and the incumbent does not have any scandals or other vulnerabilities that would lead to them running behind the region's partisanship. While there is now a right-wing candidate in the race with shua's recent entry, he is not a particularly strong candidate and does not have the ability to significantly outrun the region's partisanship, unlike say Lumine-who still lost two Senate races in Fremont, proving how difficult it is for a left-winger to lose a region-wide race in Fremont. Therefore, I do not see shua being competitive in terms of actually winning the Senate seat.

Lincoln Senate-Lean Labor
It is tempting to rate this race as tossup, however upon closer examination, particularly given the last-minute changes to the Lincoln electorate, I believe it would be wrong to do so. Louisville Thunder does have a shot at winning the seat, but tack50's chances are clearly better, this is not a 50-50 race. Note that this does not mean that tack will definitely win, I could see Louisville Thunder plausibly overperforming and winning narrowly (or perhaps tying the race again), but the more likely scenario is that tack50 wins a majority of the electorate and a full term in the Senate.

South Senate-Safe Federalist
The South's race is like a reverse of the Fremont race. While there is a left-wing candidate, weatherboy1102, following his failed presidency, is a weak and unpopular candidate. More importantly, the South is heavily right-wing and like Fremont, Vern is a strong candidate who does not have any vulnerabilities that would cause him to underperform the region's lean. It is extremely difficult to see any plausible scenario in which this race is actually competitive (in terms of which party holds the seat), and therefore it is a safe seat for the Federalists.

Senate rating-Lean outright Labor majority
Note that Labor has a high chance of keeping the Senate, as Labor only needs to win one of Lincoln Senate or the presidency to win a majority, while the Federalists need to win both contests to bring the Senate to a tie and so control the tie-breaking vote.

House rating-Lean Labor/Peace majority
The House race is relatively competitive, with both the right and the left fielding slates large enough to win a majority (3 Federalists + fhtagn (ACP) + ReaganClinton (Independent) vs 3 Labor candidates + 2 Peace candidates). However, given Young Texan will probably outperform the right-wing House slate, the left-wing slate is probably favored to win a majority over the right-wing slate (especially since the left-wing slate generally has more popular candidates with greater appeal to swing voters and ability to get crossover voters). Therefore, the House rating is Lean Labor/Peace majority.

Lincoln council special-Lean Peace
PSOL is favored for this race for similar reasons to tack50 being favored for the regional Senate race. The Lincoln council seat probably has stronger odds for the left than the Lincoln Senate race, this is primarily because Louisville Thunder is a stronger candidate than the generic Federalist, however given it will share a ballot with the Senate race there likely won't be very much split-ticket voting or undervoting, so Wazza will run similarly to Louisville Thunder. It was tempting to rate this as Likely Peace but that seems to overstate PSOL's odds so Lean Peace is probably a more accurate rating, as Wazza does have a viable chance of victory but PSOL's chances are significantly higher.

Young Texan holds a lead in the poll for The Atlasian Post over Adam Griffin, however this presidential race remains extremely competitive, as shown by the tied result when undecided was included as an option. The left looks favored to win both houses of Congress, with tack50 leading in the Lincoln Senate race and the left-wing House slate leading for the House, though both remain within reach (the House looking closer than Lincoln Senate was an interesting result, though it's hard to tell whether that is a meaningful indicator). What is clear is that Young Texan is overperforming the congressional Federalists, enabling him to compete strongly in the presidential race. There does not appear to be much of a mood for change, as there was in the last two elections, with people unsure about the direction of Atlasia but approving of President tmthforu94 by a strong 29.1% margin. The sample may be slightly biased in favor of the Federalists. This race is clearly a tight two-party race, and shows again that no side has a clear advantage in the race for the presidency.

*A lot of people responded to multiple region-specific questions, I did my best to clear this up but it's possible I may have missed one.

The Southern Flag Referendum is currently in progress. The Atlasian Post urges all eligible Southerners to vote in this referendum by midnight Sunday, here is voting booth link (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=323557.msg6866433#msg6866433).
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The Southern Flag Referendum is currently in progress. The Atlasian Post urges all eligible Southerners to vote in this referendum by midnight Sunday, here is voting booth link (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=323557.msg6866433#msg6866433).
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Note; two final rounds were given as it is unclear which of Option 1 or Option 4 would go to a final round given they are currently tied in first preferences.

The Southern Flag Referendum is currently in progress. The Atlasian Post urges all eligible Southerners to vote in this referendum by midnight Sunday, here is voting booth link (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=323557.msg6866433#msg6866433).
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The Southern Flag Referendum is currently in progress. The Atlasian Post urges all eligible Southerners to vote in this referendum by midnight Sunday, here is voting booth link (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=323557.msg6866433#msg6866433).
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[/quote]

The Southern Flag Referendum is currently in progress. The Atlasian Post urges all eligible Southerners to vote in this referendum by midnight Sunday, here is voting booth link (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=323557.msg6866433#msg6866433).
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The Southern Flag Referendum is currently in progress. The Atlasian Post urges all eligible Southerners to vote in this referendum by midnight Sunday, here is voting booth link (https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=323557.msg6866433#msg6866433).
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()

The Spanish Inquisition does not approve of this unexpected result.

I like the flag, I think it looks nice. But that's just me. :(

I hate the southern logo.

The Atlasian Post's August 2019 elections poll is now available for you to respond to. Please respond so we can have as large of a sample as possible, which means as accurate as possible of an insight into the Atlasian public's views heading into the August 2019 midterm elections.
Poll link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RuAII6MyW1sksQaF5jvG3RK-68sgZCjVzKpmA3NcIYA)

Go ahead!

Voted

18 responses so far, keep 'em coming!

As a reminder, please avoid responding in races for regions that you're not registered in, responses that vote in one Senate race are the best.

28 responses so far!

Here are The Atlasian Post official ratings for the August 2019 elections, which hopefully will provide a helpful insight into the coming election weekend.

Fremont Senate-Likely Labor
Senator Devout Centrist is a strong candidate, and Fremont continues to have a significant leftward lean. Devout Centrist also has no declared opponent, but this doesn't count for much since Fremont has a tradition of last-minute write-ins. There doesn't appear to be a candidate on the right with the ability to win a region-wide Fremont election in these circumstances (or indeed the large majority of circumstances). There have been some concerning signs for the left in Fremont, in particular the defeat of Englightened_Centrist420. While his loss was likely due to being caught as a  Tex Arkana sock, the race was already closer than expected. ON Progressive's margin of only 10 votes in June 2019 to shua was slightly underwhelming. It is possible in a positive national environment for the right that this seat could flip, but the right has a poor record in Fremont and circumstances are far from ideal for them, so Devout Centrist is the heavy favorite (just the possibility of him losing does exist).

Lincoln Senate-Likely Labor
Lincoln has shifted in recent months to be more strongly left-wing, as shown by tack50's strong victory over former Senator LouisvilleThunder. PyroTheFox has so far received no opponent, and is a relatively strong candidate, It is possible a late opposition emerges to his candidacy, but he would still be favored in such a scenario and it is unlikely that Labor loses this seat.

South Senate-Safe Federalist
North Carolina Yankee is a very popular and respected incumbent in a strongly right-wing region. He has already received many endorsements from leading figures on the left, and has received no opponent. I cannot foresee any plausible scenario in which the Federalist Party fails to win this race.

Senate rating-Safe Labor majority
Even if the Federalists win every Senate race up for contention in this cycle-a highly implausible outcome-they would not be able to win a majority of Senate seats and due to the Vice-President's tie-breaking power Labor would retain a Senate majority. The most likely outcome is the current 4 Labor, 1 Peace, 1 Federalist Senate is maintained. Therefore it is Safe Labor.

House rating-Likely Labor/Peace majority
The left currently has a strong advantage with the electorate compared to the right, and usually does better in House elections than presidential elections. Given the left won the last presidential election, this is a good sign for them. The 5 right-wing candidates lack much crossover appeal, while the left-wing candidate slate is stronger. However, midterm elections can be unpredictable with turnout dynamics and last August is an example of this, a large turnout gap* led to the left narrowly losing the House majority. If left-wing turnout is bad and right-wing turnout is strong, the House could flip. There is also the factor of the Poirot candidacy, it is unclear how successful it will be and my personal guess is he won't be elected, and if he is it could easily be a repeat of December 2018 with the right reduced to 3 seats, but that does also create the possibility of a 4-4-1 House. However, the Atlasian right doesn't seem to be pushing for this outcome as they are running 5 candidates, rather than 4 as they have in previous recent elections. The left could lose its majority, but it is unlikely to do so.

Fremont First Minister-Safe Peace
First Minister Scott also has no declared opponent, and is a popular FM with broad appeal. This race is less likely to be seriously contested than the Senate race. Realistically, I don't see Scott losing so this race is Safe Peace.

Not rating Fremont Parliament as I am a candidate for it.

*Of the August electorate 49.2% voted Yankee, 19.5% voted Ninja, 16.9% voted Lumine and 14.4% did not vote in June (many probably joined after). Among the August electorate that also voted in June, it was 57.4% Yankee, 22.8% Ninja, and 19.8% Lumine. This was of course a significantly more right-wing electorate than in June (the right also benefited from running YT for House in that election-this being a change from June 2018).

40 responses so far-this will close soon so last chance to respond!

Sorry this is a bit late, but still worth publishing imo.
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*Come on though, we all know they'll both run.
Note; This poll had 42 respondents.

Confirming this.

Fairbol volunteered for the role, and I look forward to seeing what he can bring to this paper and how he can contribute to Atlasian journalism.

Nice. Looking forward to Fairbol and Kiwi-cles articles.

The Atlasian Post is back, and the December 2019 midterms poll is now up; poll link (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ieizvY1ubgGYjVggTySS34PFlaPeGViDsrMLP3g5JZU). Please make sure to respond. With lots of responses, we can have an accurate insight into the mood of Atlasia.

Note that I have updated the Lincoln poll now that lfromnj is running for Senate. There was 1 vote for the right-wing candidate, this has been deleted and can the person who submitted it please redo the poll.

Good response rate so far, but more would be even better! If you haven't done this poll, please respond asap.

Lots of people like to say what the public thinks, but now you get to tell us what you're really thinking. Our relaunch will set the gold standard for accuracy, and provide a vital tool for players going forward. Is one or more party about to make a disastrous mistake? Let's find out!

Just want to remind people about this poll. I've gotten a good amount of responses so it should be ready to close soon, just want to give you a last chance to get your responses in.

Ted Bessell enjoys a clear 18-point lead in the presidential race, (48% to 30% Young Texan, 17% undecided, with the rest being other write-ins or comments). Without undecideds, it is a slightly weaker 15 point lead, (53% Ted, 38% Young Texan, with the rest being other comments) The Labor-led House slate similarly has a lead, leading the right-wing bloc by 12 points (50%-38%) but this extends to 17 points without undecideds (57%-40%). With 60 respondents, we can expect this poll to paint a broadly accurate picture of the result. Therefore, the right must make a major change soon. On current trends, Labor is on track to win another trifecta and this time break the record for consecutive victories in presidential elections.

Considering where the masthead "Democracy Dies In Darkness" comes from, shouldn't this be called The Nyman Post?

I think Atlasian just sounds better

Yeah, most people don't even get what 'Nyman' is.

Well you could create exposure for the National Capital.