Talk Elections

I think it is time, well, long past time actually, that I retired from Fantasy Politics.  I have many reasons to retire from this.  I will name them now.

The first, is the conduct of certain people on this board during this election, which I believe to be deeply immoral, actions which would probably not have been undertaken by these particular people if not for the corrosive environment Fantasy Politics creates.  I have never run in a seriously contested election before.  My senate and Gubernutorial races were all uncontested, really.  It was not until now that I have actually come into personal contact with this disgusting atmosphere.

Right now, Q is essentially attempting to rig the election.  Through his control of the election machinery, he is systematically disenfrachising voters.  He has already attempted to disenfranchise Kevin and dazzelman under the grounds that they did not list a President and Vice President.  WMS has told me he now plots to disenfranchise Everett, on the grounds that her re-registration not only prohibits her from voting in the Pacific Senate election, but also prohibits her from voting in the Presidential election.  These are ridiculous, unconstitutional actions that violate the fundamental right that underlies everything else that goes on here: The right to vote.

Ebowed and Q will not stop until they win the election, no matter how much damage they do in the process.  I am deeply disgusted by this.

I am also disgusted with the lack of seriousness by some voters.  Flyers and Jesus are inferior to their opponents in every measurable way, yet so many voters are so unserious that they have actually chosen to cast ballots for these people!  Counted among these misguided voters are people I genuinely like, which makes this realization of their unseriousness all the more difficult to take.

I am also disgusted at the way Frodo was treated.  For one mistake, he has essentially been driven from the boards!  We are possibly electing the man behind Girl-Gone-Wild to the Senate at the same time that Frodo has been shanmed into staying out of the election so far entirely.  This treatment of a decent person is unconscionable, and I've no intention of being part of a group that does this anymore.

The second reason for my retirement is my real life.  To be blunt, it was irresponible of me to run at a time when I have so many real obligations to meet.  This is my last semester at University, and I intend to finish well, to find gainful employment, to enter a graduate program at a later date, and to become something worth becoming.  I cannot do that here, and everything I can do herer is an impediment to my real world obligations and prevents me from enjoying that which is real.

And Atlasia certainly is not real.  Do not forget this.

Only that which is real is of importance, that which is not real is unimportant.  Atlasia is not real, therefore it is not important to me anymore.

I should not have run in the first place knowing this, but I did.  For that weakness, for that curiosity of how I might perform on the biggest stage in Atlasia, I ask the forgiveness of my supporters, whose efforts are now also wasted.

The third is that, having essentially won the election, I have nothing left to prove.  I have proven everything else, and there is no more up.  I have won a Presidential election.  I have more votes, and had I remained involved, I'd have had more votes 24 hours from now.  I won.  I will retire at the top of my game, at the top of the tallest moutain here.

But I have no intention of continuing to climb in this world.  I can climb plenty in the real.

Now, for those who are distraught, I don't think you should be.  I am not.  After all, this is not real.  You are right that Ebowed is not as good a candidate as I.  You are right that his election would further the decline of Atlasia.  But where you are wrong is on the question of whether any of that is at all relevant!

This place is not real.  It does not matter whether it succeeds or fails.  Our poverty is not real poverty.  Our wars are not real wars.  Our mores are not real mores.  They exist nowhere.

Of what relevance, are our efforts here if they affect not one real person outside these boards?

Second, how concerned had I ought to be with those who cannot lift themselves out of this nightmare board?  Should I really do worse in school, make less money, or slow my career on account of the feelings of people I've never met when those feelings are not justifiable anyway?

This Board is hurting my life, and its hurting yours too.  All of you.  The sooner you realize that I am right, the better off you'll be.

I'm going to be better off, I know that much.  I am a free man, free of the squabbles, the intrigue, the corruption, and the games.  I am free and you cna be too, and I think that's a greater reward than anything i could have done a President.

I do feel bad for True Dem.  He's had this happen to him twice now, which really sucks.  I mean really sucks.  He'll be pissed, and he probably won't get over it.  I wouldn't.

I do feel bad for Supersoulty and WMS, who I have already informed of this, and who I think will be greatly saddenned.  The Three Amigos have ridden for ther last time.  But we won the day, and we showed we were the choice of the people.

I feel bad for the others who are in my inner circle, but not too bad, since I feel that ultimately they will be best served to follow my lead and leave this wretched place.  The sooner they do this, the better, as they will be able to devote their considerable time and energy to the pursuits of the real world.

But, if you don't folllow my lead, and instead choose never to speak to me again, I want you to know I understand why you feel that way, but I will never agree with you.  I firmly believe that, in the end, I am right.

Thus, I hereby announce my retirement from Fantasy politics.  I withdraw from the Presidential race.  I resign as Governor of the Pacific, effective midnight tommorrow.  I will be Emailing Dave, asking him to revoke my moderation powers.  I request that, upon the completion of this election and not before its completion, that the Department of Forum Affairs revoke my registration.

I intend to remain on the other boards, as I still find them enjoyable and educational.  I intend to remain in contact with those close to me, those that will still have me anyway.

Its been a great ride at times.  I am grateful for that.  But there is nothing left for me here.  The things that await me do not await me here.  There is nothing left here for any of you either.

That is all.

x John Douglas Ford

So i'm stupid for not voting for Wixted. nice.

For voting for a man who uses his pro-choice views to seduce women, yes.  That's about right.  Although i think my exact word was "unserious".

I do agree that anyone voting for Flyers does need to have his or her head examined. 

And Jesus is a troll, geez.

On most of the other stuff, I don't agree, frankly.

Good thing my opinion of you can't get any lower.

This is bullsh**t! In this messed up country, the politicians decide the elections, not the people as they should.

Is anybody really paying attention?

This looks like a campaign ploy to hand the election to Ilikeverin.  I kid you not.


The ballot directions stated to list a Vice President, whether that's right or not is up for debate, but you're saying he's trying to rig the results?


Uh, no.  I basically sat around for the first day wondering why I was losing so badly.


Did you not PM Flyers asking for his vote for President?  And then you diss him like this?  YOU HAVE NO MORALS.

Err, that wasn't quite what I meant, John. I was just reporting an ongoing situation. That said, I'm still fighting on behalf of Everett, and have discovered something I'll report in a second. Also, if Everett is disqualified from voting at all...then I might just well quit as well. Same reasons.




Yes to the deep saddening. :( But damn good times. 8)

I was about to say.  I spoke to Q briefly regarding the situation, and he seemed to say that he hadn't reached a decision yet.

I did ask for Flyers vote, but I have dissed him both before and now after the election.  Its hardly a surprise that I loathe the man.

Elect verin if you like.  Though, if I were trying to elect Verin, wouldn't you think I'd have voted for verin?

The ballot instructions excuse is a bit thin.  if Q had written a ballot demanding proof of a lude act with a dog before one can vote, would that have the wieght of law?  No.  The SoFa cannot rule by decree, as he is trying to do.

To be fair to Q, the following was posted on the Ballot:


He announced this policy not knowing which votes he might potentially disenfranchise. By carrying it through, I do not believe he shows any attempt to rig the election given that his decision before voting begun could potentially have harmed himself. His actions may or may not be illegal, but that is a matter to be decided later.

I've been right where you are in the past, though I realised a little earlier in my Presidential campaign than you did, so I do sympathise to a degree. The energy that Presidential candidates are forced to invest is relatively pointless in the end, and certainly you should not allow the forum to comprimise your real life.

Nonetheless John, you put your best into the positions that you did hold, and I wish you the best in the future.

Where does he disappear to, anyway? He goes off the Forum every time after I send him a PM reply. ???

He may be accessing the forum on a public or shared computer.  I log off when I'm done browsing the forum as well, even though I don't need to - just out of habit.

Well I respect your decision and know what you are going through. While I do not agree with your assumption that just because this isn't real that it means nothing or that it is hurting us for being on here but what I can empatize with is leaving in order to make sure that your real life is in order since that is exactly like I did at the end of last year. When it came down to making a choice my grades junior year were more important than the forum and until I had found ample time to do my work I was able to return since I considered that I could finally have time for both the real and the fantastic.

I do not feel that this board is hurting my life and I believe it only hurts your life, your feelings, and your personality if you let it nor is it any omnipotent force controlling our destinies and our emotions and our feelings. We all have free will, truth be told this forum is nothing more than a communal sharing of knowledge, emotions, interests, and events.

Nor do I think that you should think of some impending demise coming from Flyers or Jesus winning these elections. When I first saw the results when I first checked on Friday I was seriously pissed as MasterJedi can tell you. However I just needed to step back and remember we're in a game, a rather complex realistic game, but a game nonetheless and even if you lose it means nothing more than you try again or you redefine your place in the game.

To you, I say that the real should always take precedent over the realms of fantasy but that people choose, out of their own volition, to come and be a part of this place and if they don't think of it as an evil force, or as a destroyer of lives, then they are completely entitled to that.

Anyway, best of luck to you John its been a pleasure.

Usually I get up from my computer to go into another room and see what my Dad is watching on TV or something.  I'm at my families house for the Prez-Day weekend, I'm trying to convince them to watch some Olympics, but they are implacable thus far.

I also drop into other websites, leaving the Forum, then I'll check back into the Forum and see what's going on.

Eh, OK. I've spent quite a while waiting for the verdict. :P

Actually, in truth we've survived Mike Naso and Mike Assad being Senator. 

We'll probably survive Jesus and Irish Dem being Senators (again in one case).

Maybe we'll manage to get both convicted of a crime and sent to fantasy prison, something which should have been done to both a long time ago.  :P

Although I do not really post anymore I often check the boards to see whats going on. This is one of the reasons I left. People running for President and throwing the nation into chaos after winning and not taking office. If you don't want to run dont fing run. Is True _____ President again? My God. Give me a break. I saw the election booth, Q isn't rigging the election, the rules are stated in the damn thread. Every Presidential election, I mean every Presidential election, its the same thing, people are doing back door sh**t, and it sucks, but this is politics, albeit forum politics, but its politics, if you don't like it get out.

John Ford, I like you, I really do, but don't talk about morals like your God when your the guy who sent me something like 2 or 3 PMs, asking for my vote despite the fact I haven't posted in about 2 months.

Well John, sorry to see you go, but im also sorry that you decided to go out attempting to ruin other's reputations. Both acts sadden me deeply.  This is strange though. A few hours after Boss reveals something 'big', Ford resigns from the race, almost guarunteeing Ebowed',s victory, something that was supposedly happening in this scandal of Tweeds. Ford also retires, and tries to bring down Q and Ebowed. You gotta admit, it does look strange.

I've been on my best behavior. I've tried to take this "game" seriously. As WMS has said in another thread, the Pacific Senate race has been a clean one. Almost all of my posts are as serious as anyone else's now. I am the top contributor on the Wiki. I said VP-less votes should still count... I said Everett should still be able to vote for Senate in the Mideast.

I must say, I find your apparent hatred of me to be...unneccessary. I'm insulted.

I'm sorry you feel that way, but you didn't need to flip out and tell everyone how you're so much better than them. You didn't need to blatantly put other people down like that. Some of the rules are stupid, as I have already said, but I don't think anyone was "cheating."

And to think, I was finally starting to respect you. :(

A point in your favor. :) But the Everett situation is more serious than that, Jesus. If Q doesn't tell ya, I will, later.

I haven't used the word morals once in this thread.

PMing is not immoral.  It's a campaign for crying out loud.


To those that were paying attention, Ebowed and Q had already sullied their reputations.

As for similairites to Tweed's thread, they aren't really anything more than superficial things.  Actually, this is nothing like what Tweed posted.  I'm making no effort to delete the Fantasy boardds, for example.  Quite the opposite, I'm actually handing over my moderation powers.  There's also no deal on cabinet posts.

You couldn't bother to check whether or not all of the people you were PM'ing were legally active?

I know that its different, but i was simply stating that it felt like a poor timing, and made me feel like something wierd was happening.

Some of these PMs were sent out long long before the election, when there was plenty of time ot get to 25 posts.

I'm talking about ones you sent the day before voting started, etc.

Oh goodness.  I wish you wouldn't say those kinds of things; it's really insulting, and your accusations couldn't be further from the truth.

Harry, not everything is about your loser ass.

both of those posts were necessary. :P

I'm just pointing out a poster's typical posting pattern.  Sorry if it's too accurate for you...

I really don't recall eight months ago, and I hope that no one cares about this race eight months from now.  It doesn't really deserve to be remembered anyway.

I can't think of an appropriate thing to say, so I shan't.

Please keep posting Harry...  You're only helping my cause.  :)

Harry, i actually don't remember what happenned to you.  You can choose not to believe me, but I have no memory of that.  I'm not saying I don't feel bad that you got jobbed, assuming you did, I just don't remember it.

Oh, boy. I think this thread needs to head for the goldmine.

()

Yes, its amusing from beginning to end.

I don't think I'll be joining any clubs, actually.

so...for the whole thing to come full circle True Democrat needs to appoint me attorney general.

Does this mean the "Harry reached 8000 posts" in the Off-Topic Board is not far behind?

Please. 

We already have enough incompetance at all levels of government to begin with.

This is all getting a bit silly

John

Just like it real politics in fantasy politics I vote for the candidate whose views most closely resemble my own views.  Unless I feel the person will bring nothing to the table regarding Fantasy Government, I tend to look beyond the personal flaws a candidate  may have and in some cases the lack of experience a candidate might have, and will vote for the candidate who is closer in tune of my own views, and who I feel will better represent my own views in Fantasy Government. 

( I don't even know if this was settled or not once the Harry/Sam Sopade mess atrted I stopped reading)

yeah, especially since you became GM...

Since I'm not actually trying, the winner would be sort of obvious.  Unless you want to leave this forum for a while.

uh, I'm not a level of government.

prude, such things do not exist.

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=36632.0
there's the link

uh, who cares?

I do, but only cuz i have nothing else to do and its 2:30 in the morning. :)

Everyone cares, including you.  Don't be sore loser...there's still time to beat me if you get God to help you!

While I understand John Ford's point of view, I must respectfully disagree with his evaluation of the "realness" of the fantasy elections held here.  It's not the notion that it's not "real" that I disagree with; it's the notion that this fact somehow matters.

I'm sure we all have things that we do as hobbies.  Myself, I play video games, draw pictures, and work on a novel that I'm writing purely for my own amusement.  None of these things are "real" per se.  I'm not actually accomplishing anything in the video games.  If I see a bad guy on the TV screen who falls over when I "shoot" him, that's not really what's happened.  It's just that an electric signal was fed from the controller in my hand to the machine, and interpreted as a message to make the 3D model of a gun commence going through its "firing" animation while the game outputs a sound of a gunshot, and, once the game has calculated that the path of the bullet intersects the model of the bad guy, the model of the bad guy commences going through its "falling down and dying" animation.

If I draw a picture of a soldier in armor running off to some battle, that's not actually happening.  It's just that the material rubbed off onto paper from the pencil's inner cylinder of graphite through motions of my hand and through contact with the paper happened to occur in a series of lines that one's brain interprets, when taken as a whole, to look like something that might occur in reality.

If I write a chapter in which a boy goes through a heavily traumatic experience, that too has not actually happened.  It's just that I visualize what might have happened in reality and describe exactly what an unseen viewer might see or take note of while observing this event.  I suppose one could even call this lying, as I write it in a very serious matter as if what I write is something that actually happened.

Yet no one would bat an eyelash at the fact that none of these are "real".  People go to movies, or examine paintings, or watch TV shows all the time.  It's simply natural for humans to need escape from lives that are - let's face it - horribly boring most of the time.  Even if your life is centered around something that is exciting, exhilirating, or what have you, you're not doing that 100% of the time, and the interlude between one session and the next is not filled with much of anything at all.  Hence, people turn to books, TV shows, movies - anything that can stimulate the mind and create positive feelings, or feelings of accomplishment, or intrigue and suspense, or what have you.

I don't think that the fantasy elections section of this forum is a whole lot different than any of these other ideas.  It's supposed to simply be a place where people gather, have fun, stimulate their mind through debate and campaigning, and what have you.  Of course it's not "real" - I don't think anyone here disagrees with that - but it still is a way to pass time and engage your mind.

I would even argue that the entire root of all of fantasy elections' problems stem from people trying to make it real, not from the fact that it's not real.  Real politics is a very scary place, where people lie or tell half-truths, where characters are slandered and defaced, where cronyism and corruption abounds in the stead of quality representation of the people, where reality is second to people's perception of reality, and where people who either are not total jerks or who do not have a gigantic ego are chewed up, put through a blender, and are lucky to escape with a shred of remaining principles or character.

In summary, I would say that the fact that fantasy politics isn't real is one of the least worrying factors in it - indeed, I might say that it's actually the most redeeming factor of all, one that people should pay very, very close attention to.

Very well said Gabu. I wholeheartedly agree.

bwahaha.

this is why I leftt this board. you guys are a riot.

The more I think about the things you said about me, the more I really can't believe you, Ford.  I have to deal with enough unpleasant people in real life that I shouldn't have to put up with ____ like you on the Internet.

You aren't having fun, so you attempt to ruin this for everyone else too.  That's sick.

(The SoFA thread has a slightly more diplomatic response to your lies.)

Neat.  See, this answers Gabu's questions though.  This game is different from, say, video games, because video games hardly ever call me a liar.  That's why, unlike real life, the payoff isn't worth the bs.

Yeah, ok, and such games do not attempt to slander me, either.  Say what you want, but you're the one who is completely wrong here.

You will respond that whatever is said to you does not matter, since this is a game, but in that case you should just leave if you hate it so much.

I don't exactly think that this really disproves what I said.  Rather, it proves me right: that all of fantasy elections' problems stem from attempting to turn it into real politics instead of a game on the internet.

You may think this game is a stupid waste of time, but not as much as World of Warcraft! :D

I am extremely saddened :( by all of this. That's all I'll say for now but if John feels he's made the right decision then so be it but I'm saddened by it nevertheless

Dave

This is similar to what happened to me, though the situation was a lot better back when I left fantasy politics. The key problem has always been that some people here just can't get into their heads that this is not real and do way too much to win. That fanatic lust for victories is what created the demand for more and more strict rules and rigid regulations of everything that eventually killed the fun. What you have to get is that there has to be a gentleman's atmosphere for this sort of thing if it is to be enjoyable.

I think you made the right decision John and I wish you luck with your real life.

True Dem gets to be president again, oh joy.

It's a great shame to see you go. :(

For the record, I'm the one who said this Fantasy Elections thing would never work out in the first place :)

So anyway, what happens?  Does True Democrat become president if Ford wins?

No one treated Frodo badly at all. When Peter posted the PM, more people got mad at Peter than got mad at Frodo. When Frodo resigned as chairman, everyone told him he didn't need to quit. More people likely blame the publishing of the PM than its author for Emsworth leaving the race. No one drove Frodo from the boards, he simply overreacted, and couldn't take his slandering of Emsworth being made public.

Well John... I can't say I'm suprised at this (as you know)... but... it's still sad that things have come to this (although I would have done the same if I were in your situation).

Frankly it may be time to put this thing down and start afresh...

Somebody set up us the bomb ???

I agree. The system has to be 'gutted.' It is too overcomplicated for those in the system never mind potential newbies. Government has to be streamlined (too many office holders in relation to voters in my opinion) and likewise with legislation.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When this ceased to be a fun election simulation and turned into a tedious government simulation, things plummeted dowhill. IMHO.

That's exactly what I'm doing.


True dat.


What martyr bullsh**t?  I'm leaving the boards because the suck now, and trying to show others the way out.
See this is what the  is wrong with this place.  Frodo basically is driven from the boards, yet someone has the gall to say he wasn't treated badly.

Read the CDP convention thread closely.  Everyone basically begged Frodo to stay on and criticized Peter Bell for posting the PM and the citizen for releasing the message, but few were mad at Frodo.

The CDP backed Frodo, duh.  But so what?

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=36262.15

Basically 2 people, Bell and Ebowed, had a problem with the PM.

About 10 had a problem with a private message being posted.  Very few called for Frodo to resign.

Like my former Governor, I also have nothing to say--except that this thread is ridiculous, and the drama is unnecessary.

My original intention after the recent scandal of mine was to keep my head low and stay quiet until after this election so as not to adversely impact John Ford and other CDP candidates' chances of winning.  That was apparently a wasted effort....  :P

In fact, I was even planning on running again for my party's chairmanship, and hopefully start off with a clean slate.  None of the words I said in my last address toward my party as its chairman last week was intended to be permanent.   

Please return to your position as CDP Chair, Frodo. :)

I can't keep myself from coming back into this forum for long, so I guess I will -I see my (in)actions of late have done more harm than good, which was exactly the opposite of what I intended when I originally stepped down.  :P

I will run again for CDP chair in our party's elections this coming March.

Ford, thanks for a fun campaign, but no thanks for leaving us without you. Real life comes first though, go kick some ass where it counts.

If Jesus is a troll so are you.

We just need more Forumites to register and dispense with the Federal Activity requirement. I think the number of office holders is about right, we just need more voters. As to whether a voter wants to be active or passive (i.e. just turn up to vote) is their prerogative

Dave

Nah.

Let's just say that the argument is finely balanced on this one.

It's coercive. Registered members should be free to chose whether they serve an active or passive role. Furthermore, from the point of view as a pragmatist, it would keep things simple or, at least, less complicated

Dave

If a registered member can't be bothered to post 25 times (throughout the entire forum) 8 weeks before an election, you have to wonder whether they're choosing whether or not to "serve" an active or passive role, or if they're just inactive.

The activity requirement hardly has anything to do with elections being complicated, anyway.  It's one of the easier requirements to fill.  Nor does pragmatism have anything to do with this.

All of Hawk's points apply, plus it depresses the population - not something Atlasia needs - plus it's worrying to see old members who're currently rather inactive just scrape by it (JFK had 29 posts within 8 weeks before the election).

It's true that it shouldn't really be that hard a requirement to fulfill though ... and of course it has been quite effective in combatting tomatosouping. I haven't seen anybody spam the board the day before the election in order to meet 25 posts, something I feared would happen when it was first introduced.

I think that perhaps, if the whole thing was reduced to its original form, that is a simple fantasy election held at times people might not get so power-hungry and the whole thing might then be more fun.

I feel you John. I remember when certain unnamed members screwed me out of my senate seat. The rules here are way to strict to be very productive. Membership is down because many good new members were run off. We need less people like Ebowed and his ilk who institute new rules to hold on to their seats of power.

LOL, still being an idiot I see.

The only "new rule" I ever instituted was a constitutional amendment to make it easier for newbies to register (lowering the post requirement from 50 to 25).  That rule may have actually come back to bite me in the ass, although I think people like Buckwheat were disqualified anyway.  But don't mind me; it's painfully clear that you're unable to hold a conversation (unless it's about the good intentions behind slavery).

Ebowed, your dirty actions around here are well noted. I'll let that record stand for itself, you dumb.