The Atlasian Post-Democracy Dies In Darkness

[Pericles]

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. The Atlasian Post recommends that all eligible Southerners make sure to vote in this election.
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PEEBS VS FAIRBOL AGAIN?Santander last counted
Haslam2020; 52.00%(26 votes)
weatherboy1102; 48.00%(24 votes)

[Pericles]

HASLAM BEATS WEATHERBOY!-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Southern Senate results
Haslam2020; 52.00%(26 votes)
weatherboy1102; 48.00%(24 votes)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

One of the higher turnouts for the region as well, though not the highest.

[Pericles]

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.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

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

[Pericles]

Interview with Young Texan

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.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Pleasure doing the interview with you, it was fantastic

Good to see you had a good interview!

[Pericles]

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!

[fhtagn]

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

Nay

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.

[Southern Delegate matthew27]

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?

[fhtagn]

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.

[fhtagn]

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.

[Pericles]

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.

[fhtagn]

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.

[Lumine]

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?

[Mr. Reactionary]

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

[Lumine]

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

Indeed. Such dull times we live in...

[Pericles]

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!

Anyway, reposting this as a reminder.

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

I must confess it is fascinating how much you two seem to utterly loathe each other

[Pericles]

Interview with 1184AZ

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.

[Pericles]

26 responses so far, please give me some more!
Link to poll

[Pericles]

POLL SHOWS CLOSE PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Partisan composition
Federalist-32.3%(10 respondents)
PUP-22.6%(7 respondents)
Labor-16.1%(5 respondents)
Independent-16.1%(5 respondents)
Peace-9.7%(3 respondents)
Other-3.2%(1 respondent)
Party favorability ratings
Peace-77.4%(24 respondents)
Labor-54.8%(17 respondents)
PUP-45.2%(14 respondents)
Federalist-41.9%(13 respondents)
Alliance-35.5%(11 respondents)
President Yankee approval rating
Approve-54.8%(17 respondents)
Disapprove-41.9%(13 respondents)
Undecided-3.2%(1 respondent)
Presidential candidate favorability ratings
weatherboy1102-71%(22 respondents)
Mike Wells-64.5%(20 respondents)
North Carolina Yankee-58.1%(18 respondents)
Labor primary poll*
weatherboy1102/MB-80.0%(4 respondents)
Mike Wells/Razze-20.0%(1 respondent)
Fremont FM election poll**
YE-64.3%(9 respondents)
Ninja0428-14.3%(2 respondents)
Undecided-21.4%(3 respondents)
Governor tmthforu94 approval rating***
Approve-91.7%(11 respondents)
Disapprove-8.3%(1 respondent)
Undecided-0.0%
Congressional preference
Left-wing majority-54.8%(17 respondents)
Federalist majority-38.7%(12 respondents)
Undecided-6.5%(2 respondents)
Wells vs Yankee
Mike Wells/Razze-48.4%(15 respondents)
North Carolina Yankee/dfwlibertylover-45.2%(14 respondents)
WI: Lumine/Siren-3.2% (1 respondent)
Undecided-3.2% (1 respondent)
Weatherboy vs Yankee
weatherboy1102/MB-48.4%(15 respondents)
North Carolina Yankee/dfwlibertylover-41.9%(13 respondents)
WI: Lumine/Siren-3.2% (1 respondent)
Undecided-6.5% (2 respondents)
House approval ratings
Razze-74.2%(23 respondents)
weatherboy1102-74.2%(23 respondents)
Pericles-64.5%(20 respondents)
Jimmy7812-61.3%(19 respondents)
Lechasseur-58.1%(18 respondents)
fhtagn-51.6%(16 respondents)
Vern1988-51.6%(16 respondents)
Old School Republican-38.7%(12 respondents)
Young Texan-38.7%(12 respondents)
Senatorial approval ratings****
MB-76.7%(23 respondents)
Sestak-70.0%(21 respondents)
Adam Griffin-53.3%(16 respondents)
Haslam2020-53.3%(16 respondents)
canis-53.3%(16 respondents)
Mr Reactionary-50.0%(15 respondents)
Direction of Atlasia
Right direction-45.2%(14 respondents)
Wrong direction-45.2%(14 respondents)
Undecided-9.7%(3 respondents)

*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.

[YE]

Party breakdown from Fremont?

[Pericles]

EXCLUSIVE; PRAGMATIC POPULIST RUNNING A WRITE-IN CAMPAIGN AGAINST LECHASSEUR

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!).