Blair for Lincoln Assembly

[Blair]

Ahoy Ahoy

After spending the customary 10 minutes googling photos of my dear Tony I've finally found something that strikes the right tone for how happy I am to announce what is my 4th return to Atlasian Politics to run for the Lincoln Assembly (and to think I'm old enough to remember when it was the Northeast!)

The one joy of being a rather rusty veteran is that I known that small announcement speeches that are pretty blunt (see my FAQ below for more) cut through- so here it is.... I'm running for the Lincoln Assembly because I'm deeply deeply worried about a region that I love falling into a state of disrepair.

Back when I was Governor of the old North in October 2015-March 2016 the North was one of the most vibrant and successful regions in the game; we had a booming economy, we passed a budget that cut taxes, I appointed the first full cabinet in the North, I passed a booming $2 billion stimulus bill, I worked across the aisle multiple times on issues such as Heroin Addiction, Refugee resettlement and a whole host of other issues.

Lincoln needs to be active, and strong to get more folks involded in the game (as the regional legislatures are where something like 98% of people start) and also because they act as a good counterweight to the Federal Government.

I'm more than aware that for some people I'll be associated as the forever tired, and stressed party chair of Labor, and for my glorious 6 weeks in the Presidency; but I'm sure that even those on the other side of the aisle know that I know how to work some magic in the regional legislatures. 

Politics always goes around in circles; the first job I ran for in Atlasia was for the Northeast Assembly and IIRC I fulfilled every single promise I made in that glorious campaign. I've got the experience, the relationships, the policy knowledge and the resolve to make sure that Lincoln can climb back to the glorious heights of old.

 

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Endorsed! I know we have had our differences but I believe you have what it takes to help make the Lincoln Assembly active and prosperous.

[Blair]

FAQ

1.) Didn't you retire?

Yes. I actually kept to it for a solid 5 months; I still checked in on the Senate and House debates, and the campaigns but I've kept relatively out of the internal politics of both parties beyond the odd PM to old hands. The advantage of being a retiree is that I've got no intentions of running for any higher office, and simply want to settle down for the next term making sure that Lincoln can become a great region again.

2.) Didn't you tell people you didn't want to run?

Yes. Several people asked me if I wanted to run, which I considered but decided that 1 ex president would be enough for the Assembly; but then DFW dropped out, and when I was finally considering announcing OneJ dropped out, which made me realize I should run.

3.) Aren't you an ex-party chair?

Yes. My days in leadership were rather labored, and I've enjoyed keeping relatively away from it all. I'll hope to be active in the politics of Lincoln; hopefully setting up a Progressive PAC/Think Tank for aspiring office holder, but I won't be involved in any Mibbit activity.

4.) What will you campaign on?

As always I'll run a policy themed campaign; and will hopefully be releasing some policy ideas soon. The biggest issue facing Atlasia is the lack of central information for players; even when I was senator and President I'd have to spend hours trawling through pages to find if we'd banned a certain type of fracking 2 years ago.

5.) Didn't you move region?

Yes. An esteemed citizen tried to block my move back home but for over two years in Atlasia I was a citizen of the Northeast, the North and then Lincoln. (IIRC I was one of the only major players other than Yankee and Leinad, to not move regions for the majority of my time) I intended to move to Fremont to retire; and flirted with running for office there late in June but the great Northern states have always been my home.

[RC (a la Frémont)]

Endorsed! I know we have had our differences but I believe you have what it takes to help make the Lincoln Assembly active and prosperous.

Anyways, Blair, If you win, you would be a fantastic addition to the Assembly, but since I'm running for re-election myself, I won't endorse you.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Endorsed! I know we have had our differences but I believe you have what it takes to help make the Lincoln Assembly active and prosperous.

Anyways, Blair, If you win, you would be a fantastic addition to the Assembly, but since I'm running for re-election myself, I won't endorse you.

you do know that since you are the only 2 running, iirc you both have a 100% chance of being elected to the assembly, right?

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Endorsed!

[Wells]

Endorsed. Blair is what Lincoln needs right now.

[JGibson]

Endorsed. Lincoln needs bodies running for the region's legislature in the worst way.

[Lachi]

Endorsed. We need more people like you getting involved with this.

[RC (a la Frémont)]

Endorsed! I know we have had our differences but I believe you have what it takes to help make the Lincoln Assembly active and prosperous.

Anyways, Blair, If you win, you would be a fantastic addition to the Assembly, but since I'm running for re-election myself, I won't endorse you.

you do know that since you are the only 2 running, iirc you both have a 100% chance of being elected to the assembly, right?

Nope lol

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Obviously endorsed.

[fhtagn]

The advantage of being a retiree is that I've got no intentions of running for any higher office, and simply want to settle down for the next term making sure that Lincoln can become a great region again.

Yet you asked to be nominated for Supreme Court?

Granted, it's not something you "run" for, but it still sends a message that contradicts the one you're trying to push here.

I was more than willing to support you for an Assembly run, because I think you'd do a fine job, and could bring something that the region needs, but it's clear that's not even remotely a concern of yours.

[Blair]

The advantage of being a retiree is that I've got no intentions of running for any higher office, and simply want to settle down for the next term making sure that Lincoln can become a great region again.

Yet you asked to be nominated for Supreme Court?

Granted, it's not something you "run" for, but it still sends a message that contradicts the one you're trying to push here.

I was more than willing to support you for an Assembly run, because I think you'd do a fine job, and could bring something that the region needs, but it's clear that's not even remotely a concern of yours.

Well actually it is; just yesterday I was sending PM's to various figures about how best to reform healthcare in Lincoln, and the various ways in which we can structure our healthcare system; so yes, it is still a great concern for me.

I really don't appreciate someone saying that I don't have concern for the great former Northeast, North and Lincoln. I see no great honour, and in my view there's no greater service than serving Lincoln as a Supreme Court Justice

[Blair]

Statement

After waking up to the never ending joy of the post election chaos/debates/and legal arguments, I went out for a quick jog to try and well gather my thoughts on what's happened.

I'd firstly like to thank everyone who voted for me in the Lincoln Assembly; I was proud to win support from across the spectrum, from new and old, labor and federalist, conservative and liberal and I'm confident that despite the issue with the Senate race; this was an active, and energetic election in Lincoln.

There are of course deep, deep problems for Labor after this election; indeed we haven't won a presidential election in over a year now, and there is a whole host of issues that the party needs to face ; but these aren't new issues. To the doomsayers, I'd note that back in June 2015 Labour only had 1 senate seat, and only 3 seats in the House, without a single Governor and a voter base that was scattered. However there's much bigger issues than Labor, and frankly the most important task for me is, and always will be my beloved Lincoln.

I've said countless times that we should.....

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I was planning on announcing some of the ideas/reforms after the election; but frankly there's three things the Assembly needs to do 1.) Introduce a tie-breaking mechanism 2.) Appoint someone to the Supreme Court 3.) Look into the creation of an Attorney General, or some sort of wider legal figure (I did always like having a Chief Judicial Officer). I trust KYC act fairly, and with integrity.

I remember when Fremont had to completely re-do their constitution because of flaws that had been written into it; I don't think this should happen with Lincoln. But I think that we should look at creating a larger committee with some of the most skilled legal minds in Atlasia to make sure that Lincoln is always the strongest that it can be.

This also makes it even more pressing that the next turn of the Assembly is more active than the last; we've got to create a new healthcare system, lay out our education system (as the regional education act is set to pass IIRC) and also pass a new budget all by the end of the year. The challenge is upon us Lincoln.

[JGibson]

On the creation of an Attorney General (or an equivalent to it) for Lincoln: It was me that proposed a bill in the Assembly earlier this year, but that failed.