UDL Convention, December '10 (Official business complete.)

[Purple State]

I would like to announce my interest in the presidency of the UDL.

Granted, I won't actually be considered a member for another 23 hours, but just giving a heads up before I officially declare.

And obviously I prefer Purple for party color, but alas I may not vote.

[Purple State]

This is essentially a debate between the DA model and the original RPP/JCP model. Do we simply open it up to anyone to run and let each candidate capitalize on their own cross-party relationships or do we work strategically as a party to "triangulate" the necessary votes, if you will.

I think the experience of the DA proves that there is little harm in running numerous candidates, as the weak will be eliminated and their votes will pass to those who were better able to bring in cross-party votes. There are, of course, potential complications to this, but generally I don't think we need to focus so singularly on elections. The primary purpose of this game is to have fun, so why discourage people from running?

[Purple State]

Can I put this to votes ?

Motion

1. The UDL shall run two candidates for December 2010 Senate elections.
2. These two candidates shall be determined through Instant Runoff Voting during a Party Primary.
3. Any candidate not taking part to the primary shall not receive any endorsement from the UDL. Any candidate taking part to the primary shall drop out of the race if he isn't among the two frontrunners.
4. The UDL Primary shall be held 24 hours after the passage of this motion. It shall last for 48 hours.

Feel free to propose any modification.

Not a bad idea to let the party decide. I will oppose the motion, but I support the efforts to bring the party's voice to bear on the issue.

I would change the third clause to say: "Any candidate not taking part in the UDL primary shall not receive a first or second place endorsement from the Party."

That allows us to run multiple candidates, but indicate who our top preferences are and also doesn't prevent us from endorsing other parties' candidates in third, fourth and fifth during the eventual endorsements.

[Purple State]

It seems like it might be a good idea to elect party leadership before continuing on with other matters so that there is someone serving in an official capacity to conduct votes.

[Purple State]

Executive Council of the Union of the Democratic Left (5 seats open)

Rank the following candidates:

[ 4 ] Sewer
[ 1 ] HappyWarrior
[ 2 ] Kalwejt
[ 7 ] Belgiansocialist
[ 6 ] Polnut
[ 3 ] Hashemite
[ 5 ] Al
[  ] Write-in: __________
[  ] None of the above
President of the Union of the Democratic Left

Rank the following candidates:

[ 2 ] Dr. Cynic
[ 1 ] Purple State
[  ] Write-in: __________
[  ] None of the above

[Purple State]

I agree with much of the above sentiment: The party is young and was founded shortly before an election. Let's focus on building internal infrastructure and making everyone feel welcome in the party right now. There will be a time to focus on elections as the party consolidates, but right now the primary focus should be within.

[Purple State]

I'll vote for Cynic in recognition of his long service to Atlasia (and also because Purple State was mean to me once).

Didn't stop Marokai.

[Purple State]

No on the logo. Sure on the color(s).

[Purple State]

What is with the Atlasian obsession with party logos?

[Purple State]

What is with the Atlasian obsession with party logos?

uh, because all modern political parties have logos?

Only because they are actually used, on television or at conventions. When do we use our logos?

[Purple State]

Prefer #1

[Purple State]

If I may suggest, why not making the rose in our logo (since we're going to pick the #3) red instead of white ? A bit of red in this sea of orange won't harm anybody.

It would hurt everyone's eyes.

[Purple State]

Any thoughts on the Senate election results and what we might do in the future...
...cough....

Elections in Atlasia are personality contests, so running more popular personalities is a good bet. None of this is meant in a negative way, but I mean, was anyone really expecting many cross-over votes from the RPP for Antonio? Did anyone not know that Ben and Winston are kinda, sorta controversial figures in the game? And Sewer...

Aside from that aspect, this election did come in the middle of the organization of the party. You can't expect many (or any) wins under those circumstances. By the next election we will have an endorsement mechanism up and will probably be more affirmatively urging specific members to run, rather than having a free-for-all like this one.

Just as a short and relevant reminisce about the DA, it started with incumbent senators and office-holders at the regional level that appeared to be a set of seats that the party could count on winning. As those members left office, however, the party's ability to hold those seats diminished and you saw the true weakness of the party's position. Almost no DAer ever won office as a sole result of their membership in the DA; it was either due to their cross-over appeal or coalition-building skills. To build something sustainable like the JCP, especially considering that this party is made up of very few top-of-the-ticket elected officials, it's going to take true, long-term cultivation.

So with that, all you members that just won those fancy party seats, it's time to get to work.