Marokai Blue/Purple State for Atlasia, Campaign HQ

[Purple State]

I'm glad to see my comments on welcoming new members in the vice presidential debate resonating beyond that single thread.

Here is what I said:

So we will be encouraging better "new member orientation" programs, like improving the "Introduction to Atlasia" thread and promoting a mentor program for new citizens, but we don't intend to make offsite (or even onsite) recruitment a part of our administration.

So far Tmth has already gotten on board, showing that efforts to make Atlasia more welcoming to new members is not a partisan or political issue, even if there are still disagreements about recruiting.

I think we can all agree that regardless of your views on recruiting, it is unacceptable to treat new members with derision or hatred before they even have a chance to prove themselves. I know when I first stumbled into Atlasia it was only with the help and mentorship of Peter, Inks, Al, Afleitch and countless others that I was able to really feel comfortable getting involved and taking an active role.

So let's commit to help new players along by being mentors and helpers, not haters.

[Purple State]

I will be on a leave of absence starting now through January 20. I planned it perfectly so as to cause the lease inconvenience possible, of course.

Play nice in the meantime and *hughughug* y'all.

[Purple State]

Question for the candidate:
What's your opinion on the recent Presidential nomination, and subsequent  withdrawal of nomination, of Taft4Prez for Secretary of Forum Elections?
And what can you tell us about how you would propose to come up with Presidential nominees for such positions as may arise during your prospective tenure?

Thanks.

I think it was probably a good thing for him to withdraw if he didn't feel he was definitely up to the task. As others said in the confirmation thread, it's probably the most important job in the game, terms of just keeping things running at all, so it matters that the person feel ready and qualified. I hope he remains interested in future jobs as time goes on and continues to gain experience.

As for what I would do if faced with openings, as I would be sure to at some point or another, I would ask interested individuals to PM me if they wanted the job. I wouldn't reject anyone that didn't PM me though. I'd seek out some of my personal choices for the positions and see if they're interested, and if so, I'd compare them to those that actually applied.

But that confirmation hearing is an interesting example of what more confirmation hearings should be like. You need to know if the nominees are up to the task, and the only way to do that is present them with questions and scenarios and ask how they would act in them. Taft4prez felt he couldn't perform up to the task, and withdrew himself. If people hadn't questioned him, it's possible he would've been confirmed, and we could've had a major crisis on our hands. That's exactly why we have those hearings in the first place and more of them should have those tough questions.

I also believe, of course, in the situation of absolutely no one willing or able to serve in the position and/or everyone in the SoFE and DoFA positions missing in action, the President has a last-resort authority to open a voting booth on their own, and given that emergency scenario, I would do so as best I could. I'd have to double check the constitution and election statute, though, since the last time that issue ever came up, we had a differently Constitution!

I would just like to expand slightly on this answer if I may:

Let me start by saying that I hope that T4P will make a great SoFE down the road if he remains committed and engaged in Atlasia, but the last thing we should do is put him in the spotlight before he is ready. It would be a shame to see someone with such promise crash and burn because we overburdened him.

Our best bet may be to allow T4P to stay on as deputy and have Fritz count the votes, as he has expressed a willingness to do. It would be hasty and risky, in my opinion, to push for T4P's confirmation when both he lacks experience and our president is a former Registrar General. While Fritz may not have been responsible for tallying votes as RG, his length of service to the game and work in the Department of Forum Affairs is reassuring.

[Purple State]

Questions? Why, Yes...

Alright, so things are getting boring in this race. To mix things up a bit, Marokai and I are going to give you all a taste of something we started under our administration and plan to refine if we are elected: Question Time (QT).

So here is the plan: In one week's time (let's call it for Sunday, January 30 at noon EST) we will open a QT thread for questions from the public. From there we will answer every question, regardless of its nature, as honestly (or wittily, depends on my mood) as possible. This will last for at least 24 hours, or longer if the questions keep flowing. If you are unavailable that day and want to get your questions answered, feel free to send me a PM with any questions you have and we will intersperse those in the slower moments of QT. Follow ups will be encouraged.

Let the fun begin.

[Purple State]

Congratulations on winning the primary. We can finally unite behind one candidate. We must stand United and live up to our party's name. Tally ho!

Thank you and Ben for stepping up and voluntarily withdrawing from the race. It's rare in this game for people to stick to their word.

[Purple State]

Congratulations.

As Chair, I was not in a position to endorse anyone, for what it's worth I'm happy to formally endorse you and will do whatever I can during this campaign.

We appreciate your full throated endorsement...

We should all gather around Marokai's campaign now.

..and we appreciate your second preference. Holding on to grudges wouldn't get us anywhere.

What is your position on Foreign Policy Reform Act of 2010?

It's alright I guess. I'm not sure why the GTO Ambassador role couldn't have been fulfilled by the SoEA, leaving out an extra layer of bureaucracy, but I guess it let us make use of Atlasia's two in-house hyper-foreign-policy oriented individuals, Ben and Hashemite. I would say the Game Moderator Duty Clarification Act was more consequential for foreign policy issues in the game than the FPRA.

[Purple State]

It's alright I guess. I'm not sure why the GTO Ambassador role couldn't have been fulfilled by the SoEA, leaving out an extra layer of bureaucracy, but I guess it let us make use of Atlasia's two in-house hyper-foreign-policy oriented individuals, Ben and Hashemite. I would say the Game Moderator Duty Clarification Act was more consequential for foreign policy issues in the game than the FPRA.

On the other hand FPRA actually ensured regular foreign-related events, without which requirements, all foreign policy reforms are worthless.

It wasn't bad legislation, just not something I see as particularly influential considering I was reporting on foreign events far more frequently than once a month during my stint as GM. But it should hopefully be a useful way of maintaing some semblance of future GM activity.

Since I don't remember foreign policy issue playing a role in your campaign, in a clear contrast to Ben's, I wonder if you two, once elected, would try to make it more important part of the game?

Personally, I've been trying to make it a more important part of the game since I was GM. Recall who reminded everyone that the Global Treaty Organization existed in the first place. So as the GM and current events warrant action by a Marokai/PS administration, we will act both proactively and reactively in the best interests of Atlasia.

EDIT: One thing to add is that I can sit here and write wonderful statements about how important foreign policy and that FRPA are to me, but honestly this election should come down to who has demonstrated an ability and willingness to take the steps necessary to make it actually happen. We aren't just writing nice words; we have taken actions in the past that have reformed the game in substantial ways and brought foreign policy to the fore (recall that Hugo Chavez is no longer the president of Venezuela in this game... how did that happen?).

[Purple State]

Gin and Tonic Organisation? A bad idea from the early days that we signed up to for no real reason. Was just the way things were going, you know. KILL IT>

I recall you being the one who brought the GTO to my attention in the first place. Revive it to kill it? Quite cunning of you.

[Purple State]

I'd like to point out, now that the dust has settled, how crazy things got without Purple State. I think I called this before it happened. I will now accept my accolades.

And I even asked everyone to play nice. Apparently *hughughug* only works when ILV uses it.


On an unrelated note, I would like to extend my heartfelt sympathies to the victims of the GTO bombing and their families. Acts of terrorism in a peaceful democratic society like ours always come as a saddening reminder of the evil that exists in our world.

As the President's investigation commences and new facts emerge about today's attack and the group that perpetrated such violence, I hope that we can move forward as a stronger more unified nation in confronting the challenges ahead. There will be such moments of difficulty, but I am confident that we can face each one in a way that reflects our core values.

We are a strong and prosperous nation. We must not waver in the face of this challenge. We can and will defeat this enemy and create a safer world for the future.

[Purple State]

Questions? Why, Yes...

Alright, so things are getting boring in this race. To mix things up a bit, Marokai and I are going to give you all a taste of something we started under our administration and plan to refine if we are elected: Question Time (QT).

So here is the plan: In one week's time (let's call it for Sunday, January 30 at noon EST) we will open a QT thread for questions from the public. From there we will answer every question, regardless of its nature, as honestly (or wittily, depends on my mood) as possible. This will last for at least 24 hours, or longer if the questions keep flowing. If you are unavailable that day and want to get your questions answered, feel free to send me a PM with any questions you have and we will intersperse those in the slower moments of QT. Follow ups will be encouraged.

Let the fun begin.

What a smashing success that was.

Eh, I try. When the left-wing of the game is determined to tear itself asunder for an election cycle, there is not much that anyone can do to stop that.

At the very least we should all take a step back and enjoy the significance of this turn of events. Just think about the history: We have left-wing administration after left-wing administration in Atlasia, even with an emergent right-wing. Eventually the right-wing implodes under its own weight, yet we end up with two centrist, non-ideological administrations, giving the right-wing time to rebuild. Now, the centrists are out, the right wing is back at full strength, and the left-wing is in the process of destroying itself. Just really interesting stuff.

[Purple State]

What is your reaction to the Breaking News?

Someone should slap some super glue on it before it gets broken completely.