The Atlasian SentinelInterview with SoEA Benconstine
By Tmthforu94
Thank you for contacting me about an interview, SoEA Benconstine. How are you?Ben: Thank you for interviewing me. I'm doing quite well. I'm having a mild panic attack about school starting tomorrow, but I am otherwise content.
Be grateful, I started three weeks ago. Are you pleased with the job you've done as SOEA over the course of your time there?Ben: I definitely am. I feel like foreign affairs has become more prominent, which is my overarching goal. Additionally, I am pleased with the actual policy successes; notably the diplomatic agreement with China, which was started while I was GTO Ambassador and completed during my term, as well as the policies enacted for the Middle East, and of course the pending GTO Expansion.
You've now been Secretary of External Affairs in two administrations. However, you've expressed recently your interest in running for Mideast Senate in October? Has a decision been reached?Ben: No it has not. I'm currently in the exploratory stage. No decision will be reached for at least two more weeks, as I want to see who else declares, and also get a feel for my schoolwork to see if I have the time.
Is running for President again on your mind?Ben: James Carville once said that running for President was like having sex: you don't do it once and forget about it. It's on my mind, in the back. I am not currently considering a run for President in the near future, and my hope is that Senator Duke will take the plunge and run for President.
You've been active in Senate debate, particularly those regarding foreign policy. How would you judge the Senate and the members within it?Ben: That's an interesting question. On the one hand, the Senate has recently been far more active than in the past, and I appreciate that. Ideologically, I am very much at odds with the Senate, especially Senator Napoleon, who I wish were more like his Corsican namesake in terms of ideology. I also feel as though the Senate has discounted me in terms of negotiations, focusing on simply attacking me, and that hurts both sides. Overall, though, I do approve of the Senate, but I wish it would be quicker on debating my many recently introduced bills, and the FPR I released.
Are you pleased with the compromise to the "End to Imperialism Act", or would you have rather done Polnut's proposed plan?Ben: I would have preferred the President's plan, which I helped work on, but the ultimate compromise was acceptable. I do wish, though, that it had been renamed. I bristle at the suggestion our foreign policy is based on "imperialism" which is in itself a ridiculous notion as far as I am concerned.
How has working with President Polnut worked out for you?Ben: Surprisingly well. Polnut has been extremely supportive of me, and has kept me involved in everything the Administration does. He has also been very tolerant of my conservative ideology in foreign policy, and my often combative statements. He has been an excellent President, and I will miss him. I have worked for three Presidents, and have been blessed to always have a good relationship.
You say surprising. What were you expecting?Ben: To be fired or sidelined. To be honest, I did not have much experience with Polnut prior to his election, whereas I had worked closely for a long time with Purple State and with you, so I had known how I would be received previously. With Polnut, all I knew was that, politically, he was a standard JCP liberal - I would agree domestically, but on foreign policy less so. Shortly before his term began, he had sent me a PM explaining that he knew foreign policy well, and so I was concerned that conflict would ensue. I was pleasantly surprised, then, when Polnut continually asked my advice, kept me involved, and had me remain one of the main spokesman for the Administration. I do not want to give the impression that I distrusted Polnut, or had low or negative expectations; he simply surprised me by how much faith he had in me, and how tolerant he was of my differing viewpoint. I never feared disagreeing with him, and I appreciate that.
You indicated earlier that you're saddened Polnut isn't running for reelection. Why do you think he chose not to run?Ben: He mentioned a long vacation, and that was also the explanation given privately - he said that he would be away in the Winter, and didn't want to leave Atlasia with an absentee President. Everything he said publicly he said privately, so I have no reason to doubt his statements. I also hope he does not keep to his retirement announcement.
What are the biggest problems today in Atlasia, and how would you seek to fix them, regardless of what position you may hold?Ben: I think the Senate election system is broken. I think it is a problem when someone who is barely active, essentially a zombie, declares for the Senate after the deadline, and is then elected easily as a Write-In over a far more active candidate - although BRTD has been a good Senator so far. I also think the discourse needs to calm down; things are getting too personal, and that is driving people away. As to fixing them, I am less sure. The latter problem cannot be legislated away; it can only be fixed through conscious decisions to change. The former problem, too, is tough to fix. More stringent activity requirements, but they can also hurt newbies and others who are trying to stay involved. It's difficult, and it makes me glad that I am a FoPo wonk.
Any last words?Ben: Hmm. I want to thank the citizens who have continued to support me, especially you and Polnut for appointing me SoEA, and the members of the Senate who have kept foreign policy debate alive.
