Oakvale/Potus for Atlasia: Concession & endorsement

[Oakvale]

Friends!

I look around Atlasia and I see a country in its death throes.

Criminals run loose in the streets and sit in high places in Nyman. Tumbleweeds blow through the Senate. Incompetent goons kept in place by backroom backslappers and inertia. We have had three Presidents in a seventh-month period through a dismal display of neglect and disappointment. The incumbent spent a grand total of nine days as Vice-President.

In such stark relief is the collapsing scenery of the nation that Congress, the supposed reviver of the game, could not find a single living soul to appoint to a vacant seat, allowing Crooked Harry Truman to shamelessly exploit a legal loophole he wrote himself in order to hold two offices simultaneously.

Alongside so many of you, I cast my ballot proudly for dfwlibertylover seven short months ago. The Forgotten Men of Atlasia rose up to elect an outsider to our highest office. I do not regret my vote, but it is clear, tragically, that his presidency was a wasted opportunity, ending not with a bang but a whimper as he became just another entry in the long string of anonymous presidents run from the backrooms of Nyman. His singularly undistinguished successors have failed to impress in their brief and unremarkable tenures in office. Is the Presidency now a training ground for aspiring politicians?

The once-great Federalist Party has been hollowed out and lost its soul, lead astray by morons and becoming an amorphous ideological blob. So tragic is the party’s fall into indistinguishable mushiness that the treacherous Ted Bessell can flee to the Labor Party without so much as a eyelash’s difference in his political positions. Most of the party’s time is spent adopting Elizabeth Warren’s platform for some reason.

It is clear that we are slouching toward ruin.

We need radical change, and none of these two-dimensional grifters can provide it.

Let us consider the choices. The incumbent President is by all accounts a well-regarded person, but she will do nothing, change nothing. Can do nothing, can change nothing. She is an empty vessel, a puppet of the shadowy party hacks and cosy cronies that have stabbed us in the back. Crooked Harry Truman’s primary qualification for office is a pathological of shame. Electing this bargain bucket Nixon would be a laughable moment in Atlasian history. The incompetent Peebs has never shown any sense that she takes her job seriously so I suggest we treat her presidential campaign in the same way.

I could wax lyrical about my years of experience, but what does it matter? I have long been a visionary. I have predicted this point again and again over the years.

Our sickness is deep. We need to pull up the whole rotten system, root and branch. Cosmetic changes and tweaks lead only to a brief boost and then a steeper decline. Look at the godawful mess we’re in.

So, friends, we are at a turning point in history. We face annihilation. Our malaise is deeper than ever before, and I alone can fix it.

To make Atlasia great again, we must make the Federalist Party great again. We must toss aside the moderate hero junior President Fhtagn and nominate me, with conservative credentials that, yes, if heterodox, far outweighs the incumbent’s. In a single day, when I authored the landmark Roe v. ZuWo Supreme Court ruling, barring the federal government from legislating on abortion, I did more for the conservative movement than the last three Federalist presidents combined. We must give this party an identity of its own once more.

As one of the few people alive who has authored multiple Constitution, I will, in conjunction with my staff, author a NEW CONSTITUTION and present it for debate by the Senate. Constitutional Conventions are an idiotic and tedious waste of time. My new Constitution will return power to the regions, the game’s only hope for long-term activity.

I will slash the bloated and wasteful government by abolishing the absurd position of National Archivist. While I recognise that the People must have the final say on such matters, so I will move for an immediate referendum on the future of the House of Representatives, and will, barring some overnight miracle, campaign for the abolition of this junkyard for backbench political hacks and brainless zombies.

I will abolish once and for all the dull and dreary necessity of “Game Moderation”. We will control our own destinies.

I will fight to legalise the death penalty, giving our Courts a wider arsenal to crack down on the criminal chaos in the streets.

I will repeal our moronic election laws, written by the brain-damaged, and replace them with laws that are actually fit for the purpose.

I will only ever appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices, and those who vow to protect gun rights, in the spirit of my Scaliaesque tenure on that fine body.

And I will order my Attorney General to begin an immediate investigation into Crooked Harry Truman’s flagrant disregard for the Constitution.

Friends, no one else can solve our problems. They are part of the system. Profit from it, partake in it. They care only about careerism. My political career is over. I have no future ambitions to sacrifice, no electoral concerns to weigh. I am free of all outside influence. I am dedicated only to making Atlasia great again.

So, this is a call to action!

Pick up anew the Great Broom of History and sweep aside the cretins and cronies who have brought us low!

Restore dignity!

Uncuck a party!

Slash the state!

Unchain a country!

Make Atlasia Great Again!

[Oakvale]

What is your opinion on the crippled Southern Chamber?

Disgraceful, but sadly far from atypical.

It's a continuation of a problem that's plagued Atlasia for decades because of a power-hungry central government - regional government only matter insofar as they're pathetic jumping off points for federal careers, so they gradually sink into decline and decay.

[Oakvale]

You literally enjoy giving me temp bans on IRC

I was always a hanging judge, Wulfric!

[Oakvale]

Well folks, I think it's clear - we've got 'em running scared. The odds are still daunting, but we've shown this movement doesn't shy from a challenge.

As the MAGA Express gains momentum, I'm excited to announce I'll be revealing my selection for the next Vice-President of Atlasia later today!

[Oakvale]

Friends, when I began this journey I knew that I'd need a partner to work alongside me. Someone of unimpeachable integrity, of rock-solid principle, someone with the vision and the ideas to Make Atlasia Great Again.

There was a lot of great candidates. But I've found that person.

My running mate and I don't agree on everything, of course. He's probably more conservative than I on some things, sure. But we share a common goal - the only goal that counts. We're both fiercely committed to restoring this nation to greatness and reversing our long months of decline and decay.

The next Vice-President is a fellow old hand who's watched in despair as brandy-swillers chuckle while the country goes down the drain. He's someone of immense experience at all levels of government, policy genius and tremendous foresight. A longtime champion of conservative values and a clear thinker on the need for radical change. A believer in the power of the market, a man of faith, a skeptic of government, a crusader for what is right.

I'm proud to announce my choice for the next Vice-President of Atlasia, Potus!



There's no one I'd rather have by my side when I take that great Oath of Office on the Capitol steps and get on with the people's business of restoring our country to health and prosperity. And if you share these goals, and share that vision, you must join our movement today. We have great challenges, yes, but also great things to do, together, as one people.

Let's get to work.

[Oakvale]

Tremendous! Thank you RPryor! Our momentum just keeps on growing!

[Oakvale]

A familiar chill went down my spine when I saw that Senator Reluctant Nay had posted in my beautiful thread, and yes indeed I see he has filled it with his incoherent senile ramblings.

No matter - it's clear that as every slimy creature crawls from the depths of the swamp to bark at us we are moving ever closer to the nomination. From tomorrow I will be revealing our ambitious plan of action for our first week in office - big stuff!

I'd also encourage all Atlasians, not just Federalists, to watch the debate between the President and myself.

[Oakvale]

give me three reasons why I shouldnt vote for you.

If you're happy with the direction things are going and don't want to shake things up - I'm not your guy.

If you think the reigning establishment has got it right and we're on our way to an ever-better future - I'm not your guy.

If you think a blob of bland consensus, where every political party appears identical and policy differences are quietly snuffed out through the suffocation of legislative bureaucracy and limp compromise, is the ideal situation for our nation - I'm not your guy. Vote for someone else.

If you don't think these things, then join us. This is the movement for you.

hi, potential voter here, I'd like to know what is your opinion on the "Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement"?

Thanks for the question, old friend. It's an important foreign policy issue.

If we want to have an honest debate about the Israel-Palestine conflict we can do that. But the BDS 'movement' is odious and at times reminds me of nothing so much as some kind of ghoulish reincarnation of the anti-Jewish boycotts of centuries past - it's an anti-Semitic witch hunt. Plain and simple. It's sadly telling that the radical left focus every last bit of their ire on the only functioning democracy in the region while turning a blind eye to the crimes of Israel's neighbours.

[Oakvale]

Wow! Thank you Poirot and Simfan for your beautiful words of support. I'm honoured. Our momentum is sure to grow ever more with you on board.

Are there any brakes on this train?!

[Oakvale]

Friends -

Well, we fought the good fight, but we have come up short. I acknowledge that the President will be the Federalist nominee, and wish her well. I bear no ill will against her personally.

I knew it would be a Herculean task to win the Federalist nomination against a sitting, popular President. That we could not quite make it across the finish line is a disappointment but no great surprise. I am proud that we stood up for what we believed in, waged an honest campaign, and made our case for why this country needs radical change.

And, yes, yes, recriminations and legal action on the foul campaign against me are a matter for other days. Rest assured that I truly think that the fight was not fair, and I believe my work is not yet done. I am considering legal action against the more foul accusers. More will follow. I must, however, thank former president DFW for his public apology to Potus and I. It showed real character, and I will always appreciate someone admitting when they were wrong.

No matter.

There are so many people that deserve thanks. More than could be listed here. But in particular I want to thank one of our most respected statesmen, Winfield, for his sage advice and counsel. He would have been a vital part of an Oakvale administration. Rpryor, whose help was truly - truly invaluable to our long-shot, dark-horse campaign, and who showed immense courage in supporting us.  Simfan, who has always been a friend and a true Atlasian institution. And Poirot, someone with whom I've had my share of clashes but has always been a voice of outsider integrity, and whose endorsement gave us a boost at a time when we were languishing in obscurity - thank you. It meant the world.

And, most of all, to my partner these last few giddy weeks - former Secretary of State Potus. I will paraphrase the words of better writers - he is the truest friend, he has the farthest vision. He is the greatest man I have ever known.

I very much regret that he will not be the next Vice-President of Atlasia. It is a dire loss to our country. But I know he'll continue to be an essential contributor to the progress of country. I genuinely could not have asked for a better running mate.

Everything I said in my announcement speech, my friends, remains true. Our nation is in crisis. Our regions wither on the vine. Our democratic organs die away before our very eyes. We stand at a stark crossroads. Where we go from here may determine the fate of our country.

I have spent many agonising hours talking with my closest advisors and colleagues on what the correct decision to take now is. One part of me desperately wants to continue my crusade, whatever the odds - I believe now, as I believed just a few short weeks ago, that my vision for Atlasia is the right one, and that an Oakvale presidency would revive the nation and revitalise its failing institutions.

However.

However. I have sadly concluded that, while the crusade must - must - continue, I am not the right man to take forward this mission. I have been tarred and feathered. An all-too ugly and divisve primary has left its mark. A continuing Oakvale/Potus campaign would only risk the ultimate calamity - splitting our party and electing Crooked Harry Truman to Atlasia's highest office. I would do anything to avoid that disaster. We would not survive such a turn of events.

I am tonight suspending my campaign. And I am therefore today calling on former president Lumine, one of our most respected and revered statesmen, to enter the presidential race. He is Atlasia's greatest hope for a better future.

To be sure, Lumine and I disagree on much. I have no doubt he disagrees in the strongest terms with my recent attacks on my party's leadership. I am sure he is appalled at my tone and my rhetoric. But, nonetheless, I believe he understands better than the other candidates the dire straits we find ourselves in and has the vision, and the plan, to dig us out of our self-made grave.

I urge Lumine to run. Seek the Presidency. Atlasia cries out for your leadership.

I urge all my supporters to vote for him, and, in that event, grant their second preference to the incumbent President. We have battled fiercely, but, at the end of the day, I have little doubt that whatever our real disagreements - and they are real and serious - the worst day of a Fhtagn presidency is better than the best day of a Crooked Harry Truman administration of corruption and vice. Should the former president not heed my call I will cast my ballot for her without hesitation.

I thank all those who braved the political headwinds to support my campaign. I thank Potus for his unwavering support and service in support of our great cause.

I am, sorry as I am to disappoint my enemies, not going anywhere. I remain a Federalist. I remain a radical. I remain, above all else, an Atlasian citizen. I will fight every day for what I truly believe in - that we must change, and must change dramatically, to survive.

I wish everyone, friend or foe, well.

That is that.

Thank you, and good night.





Former Supreme Court Justice of Atlasia

Former candidate for the Federalist Party presidential nomination, 2017