Office of Chairman TNF: Red Army takes NM, UT, ID, AZ

[TNF]

Where does Senator TNF stand on legislation currently in the Senate queue?
NOTE: The following listing does not include legislation proposed by Senator TNF

Police Militarization and Civil Rights Act - Support
Downsize the Debt Act - Support
Farming Freedom Act - Undecided
Youth Empowerment Act - Opposed
End Racism in Federal Contracting Act - Opposed

The so-called 'Youth Empowerment Act' is an attempt to legalize the labor of persons under the age of sixteen. It is in reality a bill to restore the ability of employers to purchase the labor of working class youth, depriving them of an adequate opportunity to develop their faculties elsewhere (especially at school) in order to lower the overall price of labor.

Likewise, the 'End Racism in Federal Contracting Act' has in actuality nothing to do with ending racism in contracting, but everything to do with undermining union wage rates and attacking the labor movement. I will not allow either of these regressive pieces of legislation to make it out of the Senate intact. You can mark my words on that.

[TNF]

September 2014 Midwest Elections Endorsements:
Midwest Archduke: I encourage all Midwestern voters to write-in a Laborite of their own choosing for first preference.
Most Serene Representatives: I wholeheartedly endorse the candidacies of my good friend and former colleague and running-mate Gass3268 and the campaign of our esteemed former Secretary of Internal Affairs, GAworth.

[TNF]

I will be seeking the Chairmanship of the Labor Party at the next Labor Party convention, presuming of course that current Chairman Adam Griffin is not seeking another term at the helm. I will explain my reasons for doing so and outline a platform on which I will be seeking that office later today.

[TNF]

The Labor Party Leadership Contest: Why I'm Running

Today I am announcing a bid for the Chairmanship of the Labor Party. You might ask why, after all this time, I am deciding to contest this position rather than continue on in my current capacity as Vice Chairman, and I am here today to answer those questions in full.

First, allow me to provide an assessment of the current state of Atlasian politics. At present, we are mired in a period characterized by inactivity at virtually every level of government. The Senate is recovering from a politically imposed deadlock resulting from the lack of a Vice President during the last session, and under the leadership of Vice President Tyrion and President Pro Tempore Lumine, it is slowly recovering and returning to previous levels of activity. I wish I could say as much for the Regional governments. In the Regions, inactivity remains the norm. Aside from one or two regional legislatures, the regions are moribund and lack the kind of debate that characterizes the federal Senate.

As far as party politics goes, I think it is evident to nearly everyone that the current party system is in a profound state of flux. The Federalist Party has fallen into a state of near terminal decline, and will continue along that trajectory even if Lumine is elected President next month. The fact of the matter is that the Federalist Party is an army with no generals; it's promising leaders have defected to the People's Party or to the Democratic-Republicans. It is no more ideologically coherent than the past Progressive Union, and as such, it will likely face the same fate, at some point in the future. The People's Party remains, for the most part, a centrist force in Atlasian politics which doesn't seem to be growing as much as it seems to be acting as a stabilizing force for centrist liberals and others upset with the designs of the Labor Party and the Democratic-Republican Party for a more ideological politics in the Republic of Atlasia.

The Democratic-Republican Party, for its part, seems to be the up and coming party of our day and age. In spite of insurmountable odds, they have built an effective party organization with a presence in almost every Region.

With all this in mind, determining which kind of path the Labor Party takes going forward is more important than ever. I would be lying to my comrades within our party if I said that we are not in a state of intra-party crisis. The fact is that we are. We are a divided party, one that has made tactical errors in the recent past and one that is in need of not only party unity, but also a new strategy going forward.

Should I replace Adam Griffin as the Chairman of the Labor Party, I will work my hardest to rebuild the Labor Party from the bottom up. This means moving away from a party model that emphasizes the primacy of the Politburo and instead moving toward a model that emphasizes internal party democracy. I believe that the membership of the Labor Party should be more actively involved in formulating party policy and managing the day to day affairs of the party.

I fundamentally believe that the lack of internal democracy has been responsible for the decline of the Labor brand and the tactical errors made by Labor in the past few months, especially insofar as the public power bill was concerned. I take responsibility for a great deal of this as a member of the Politburo, and will make sure that the necessary reforms are implemented to make sure that rank-and-file Laborites have more of an input in the way decisions are made and carried out in their party. At the October convention, I will introduce a new version of the party by-laws that incorporates new forms of internal party democracy to help the Labor Party develop a coherent agenda that all of its members can support.

I also believe that, to remain competitive, we have to put a greater focus on outreach and recruitment efforts, and I will do so as Chairman. I will also place a greater emphasis on building Regional party organizations and taking back control of the Regions from the Atlasian right. In these efforts we must learn from those parties who have built strong organizations from scratch and emulate them as best we can. I will never categorically reject any method of party organization if it advances the goals of the Labor Party and gets Labor Party members elected to office.

At the end of the day, I want to be a candidate not of the status quo, not of the 'Old Boys' network of Labor leaders past, but a candidate with the express goal of reforming, rebuilding, and re-branding Labor in such a way as to allow us to continue on as the preeminent party of the Atlasian working class. I pledge to you that if elected Chairman of the Labor Party, I will serve no more than two consecutive terms as Chairman, and will devote myself entirely to efforts concerning the reform of the Labor Party internal structure and the capture of power by the Labor Party and its allied forces at the Regional and Federal levels.

If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask them in this thread.

[TNF]

Endorsed

Your support is very appreciated and valued, Comrade!

[TNF]

Obviously endorsed.

Absolutely endorsed. You do objectively outstanding work and I like your ideas for expanding the appeal of the party.

Thank you both for your support!

[TNF]

If my signature doesn't make it clear enough, I want to offer my total support for the Marokai Blue/Antonio V campaign for President. I started by Atlasia career shortly after the end of Marokai's Presidency, and so I can't say that I have firsthand experience working with him, but I can say that from everything I know about Marokai (and Tony) as people, they will make a great team and help spur the kind of revival Atlasia is in so desperate need of.

[TNF]

15 X 20 or FIGHT!

Comrades!

Today I would like to announce the launch of what I hope will be a significant battle over the course of the next Senate session, the 15 X 20 or FIGHT! campaign. What's the 15 X 20 or FIGHT! campaign all about? This slogan represents the necessity of both valuing labor for the contributions that it makes and ending unemployment once and for all. How do I propose that we do either of those things?

Well, the 15 part of the slogan corresponds with a support for the $15 an hour minimum wage. This was already scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2016, but was unfortunately repealed by the reactionary 61st Senate in a bid to destroy the gains of the labor movement in this country led by right-wing reactionary shua. I have already introduced a measure calling for the reimposition of this demand, the Fair Minimum Wage Act. I will continue the fight for $15 an hour while in the Senate, and hope to see the minimum wage raised above and beyond this in the future.

The 20 part of the slogan refers to the need to combat unemployment by reducing work hours. Atlasia adopted a 32 hour workweek in 2011 to great fanfare, but this has not adequately reduced the number of unemployed. Continuing the 4 day week, but adopting a 5 hour day rather than the present 8 hour day, would reduce unemployment to near non-existence. But in acknowledging this, we must also fight so that a 20 hour week would be one in which those who work 32 hours now do not suffer wage cuts as a result. Our demand must be clear: we want a 5 hour day with no loss in pay!

And of course, the 'FIGHT!' component of this slogan refers to the need to struggle toward the achievement of these goals. I shall never tire in the struggle against the capitalist despots and ask for your support in that struggle, fellow workers.

[TNF]

I am pleased to announce that the Peace and Prosperity Act was today signed into law by President DemPGH. This is the greatest shift toward a peace-oriented foreign policy in Atlasia in a very long time, as well as a measure aimed at ending duplicate spending in our armed forces. Five years from now, the Marine Corps. and the Coast Guard shall be folded into the Army and Navy respectively and troop numbers across the board shall be reduced.

Within five years, the National Guard will be the single largest segment of our armed forces, which shall be fully integrated in a single organization, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Atlasia. Citizen soldiers shall comprise the single largest section of our armed forces from here on out, an achievement of which I am very proud. I would like to thank those Senators who voted for the final bill and the President for signing it into law. This is a great day for the cause of peace.

[TNF]

I am in complete and total support of hifly15 for Secretary of External Affairs. This does not me that I agree with or condone any of the statements he has made concerning domestic political affairs, for the record. But in hifly15 I recognize a willingness in international affairs to reduce our commitments abroad and emphasize peace and dialogue between nations, not war or bloodshed. He has been entirely correct on the Israel issue and as that is an issue I am quite invested in, I am proud to support his bid.

When it comes to foreign policy, we cannot afford to alienate those who share our opposition to militarism and imperialism, even if they do not agree with us on domestic political matters. This is why I am supporting hifly15 for the position, not out of any naive misunderstanding of how he views the world or what he prioritizes in terms of domestic politics. He will make a fine Secretary of External Affairs because he will stand up to the arms manufacturers, the generals, and the Lumine-led imperialist lobby in the Senate.

[TNF]

It's from 3 days that the civil conflict started, our region is occupied by the Pacific forces and I haven't seen any word from you. Why?

I've been fairly busy IRL, between two 10.5 hour workdays, I didn't really have the time to comment upon the ridiculous nonsense that has transpired in the wake of DemPGH's resignation.

Nevertheless I condemn the occupation of the Midwest by Simfan's forces and likewise disavow any supposed connection between myself and those forces associated with the so-called People's Republic. Snowstalker believes that socialism can be forced from above upon the people of Atlasia, a view that I strongly disagree with and disavow. I support the efforts by President Tyrion to restore order.

[TNF]

I'm sure my defense of Deus in the Senate raises a few questions, given that I have been a vocal opponent of the "goings-on" in Atlasia over the past few days. Specifically, how do I defend Deus, who has been part and parcel of the nonsense going on, while condemning other participants, like former Senator X?

Because I don't think that what Deus has done is a reasonable grounds for expelling him from the Senate. Deus has been active and he has participated in the debates of the Senate; calling for secession (which is not against the law) should not be grounds for expulsion. Rather, it should be grounds for the sort of public shaming that has been going on since this nonsense began. That, not expelling a Senator (and setting a precedent for expelling Senators with unpopular views), will do more for the stability of this game. We must not allow the heated environment to create precedents that will in the future make it easier for Senators with unpopular views to be removed from office on account of those views.

Under no circumstances will I vote for expulsion.

[TNF]

I would like to welcome Cris, a distinguished Atlasian and Midwesterner, to the race for the Midwest Regional Senate seat. While Cris and I don't agree on a lot, I don't doubt his penchant for public service and hope that he helps make this campaign one about ideas, rather than personalities. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case as of his announcement, wherein he spends more time attacking me as a "partisan" rather than addressing any of my accomplishments while in the Senate or presenting a coherent argument against what I have thus far outlined as my goals in my own re-election bid.

Campaigns should be about ideas and policy proposals, not personalities. I have had fond debates and run in campaigns that were fundamentally ideas-oriented before. My campaign against Rooney falls into this category; although Rooney and I disagree of almost everything, he attack my proposals, not my character, and engaged me in a debate of ideas. I can only hope that Cris will do the same in the future, rather than resort to the tried and true tactic of character assassination first pioneered by the Lumine campaign against me earlier in the year. I am under no allusions that this race will not be tough. Cris is a capable opponent, and so I will need the support of all those who call themselves progressives, regardless of their party label. I can only request a mutual understanding that ideas, not petty personality conflicts, should fuel this debate going forward.

I welcome a candidate forum and a debate between the two of us, because I want to make plain the differences between myself and my opponent. I am a steadfast ally of working people. I have a detailed plan to improve the position of and the wages of the working masses. What does Cris have to offer in return? I am in favor of new hate crimes legislation and new civil rights legislation to protect women and minorities. What about Cris? Where does he stand on the right to choose? Where does he stand on police brutality? These are all open questions that I would like to have resolved sooner, rather than later.

[TNF]

I thought you were against hate crime laws. boo.

I was, but a bit of political education on the subject radically changed how I feel on that issue, along with issues like affirmative action, hate speech, etc.

[TNF]

My opponent continues to dodge real issues and instead focus on my so-called "silence" on the utter nonsense that was "occurring" in the wake of DemPGH's resignation. I will not recant from my position nor will I succumb to these utterly bizarre attacks that focus more on my character than on the issues that are really at hand. Cris continues to make this a race based on personality and style, rather than on the real issues. I don't want that kind of race, but if that's what my opponent wants, I will not hesitate to fight fire with fire, should this kind of nonsensical sniping of my record on the stupidity of the OMG! SECESSION nonsense become the issue, rather than my opponent's refusal to state where he stands on the issues of the day.

I have been nothing but open and honest in my opinion of the 'crisis' that unfolded a few weeks ago following the resignation of DemPGH. As that 'crisis' has been resolved, I see no more reason to waste time discussing it. I want to know where my opponent stands on a higher minimum wage, on a shorter workweek, on the rights of workers, and on the rights of women. If he's willing to step up to the plate and answer those questions, all the better. Let's make this race into one of ideas and step back from the petty sniping currently being engaged in by my opponent and his backers on the Atlasian right. I notice that Cris has announced that he will be posting a platform shortly - great. I welcome it. I cannot wait to see what he has to bring to the table and contrast that with my own platform.

[TNF]

GAME REFORM

Good morning.

Today I voted against the GM Independence Amendment. Why did I do that, you might ask? For reasons outlined in the thread, I believe that the proposed Amendment is woefully inadequate to deal with the problems that have become associated with the position itself. I fundamentally believe that attempting to 'remove politics' from that position is ultimately a fool's errand, because removing politics from it is ultimately impossible. Who among us, if appointed to that position, would not come to it with his or her own biases already in mind when determining the effects of a piece of legislation? Not one of us would be able to be fully and completely impartial. 'Objectivity' is and has always been the stuff of liberal fantasy.

The only solution, as I have proposed before and in the debate over the proposed Amendment, is to realize this as fact and go from there. This is part of my broader idea of what it is we should be doing in terms of game reform. Bicameralism, regional consolidation, and the like have not saved us and ultimately will not save us. They are and will continue to be political dead-ends.

What I propose in lieu of these and other failed game reform strategies is the radical democratization of Atlasian politics. What would that entail?

1. An election for every officeholder. We elect a President, a Senate, Regional Governors, and Regional legislatures. These pale in comparison to the number of unelected individuals that have direct influence upon the course of the game and its storyline. Arguably the most important person in the game, the Gamer Moderator, is unelected and can be dismissed by the President at-will. The Supreme Court, likewise, has lifetime tenure and is not subject to any kind of popular control. This needs to be addressed. I propose that for every officeholder we have, an election be held to fill that office. We should elect the Vice President separately from the President, elect judicial officers and the Supreme Court, and elect members of the President's cabinet. This has the potential to cause a lot of headaches, sure. But it also has the potential to create a lot of more interest in the game and allow for more competitive elections, bringing new concerns to the fore.

2. Ending lifetime tenure for the Supreme Court. It's completely insane that members of the Supreme Court of an online politics game sit on that Court for life. We need to end lifetime tenure and Presidential appointment of Supreme Court justices, and replace that system with the election of members of the Court in competitive elections every year, with term limits that prevent consecutive service.

3. Term Limits. We already have Presidential term limits, and I see no reason as to why we should not adopt similar limits for members of the Senate. This would allow new players to get more actively involved and would yet still allow older members to return and continue legislating after a certain amount of time.

4. Recall. Why shouldn't we allow for recall elections for every public official? Provided that a process is followed, voters should be able to throw out Senators or even Presidents that ultimately fail to deliver on their campaign promises.

5. National Initiatives that Work. We have a national initiative process, but the byzantine system we've got might as well not exist in the first place. We should streamline this process and make national initiatives a much bigger part of the game, with periodic votes on a number of initiatives every few months.

6. Referendums. The Senate should be able to devolve votes on legislation to the general public if they are particularly contentious.

7. Frequent Constitutional Conventions. There's no reason that we should be held hostage to the prejudices of the past, as far as constitutions go. I propose an automatic constitutional convention process be added so that a new constitutional convention must be held every 24 months. This will allow us to continue to experiment with new forms of government, figuring out what does and what doesn't work, and reinvigorating our game.

These are just a few suggestions for how we might approach game reform in a way that strengthens our game and our democracy while making it a lot more fun for everyone involved.

[TNF]

Comrades,

I would like to thank all of you who came out and supported my campaign. It's not easy to hold on to office for this long as an admittedly divisive, radical public figure, but without your help, it never would have been possible in the first place. The working people of the Midwest have spoken, and they have entrusted me with this office for another four months. I will do everything in my power to represent them well in Nyman and continue fighting the good fight on behalf of the working class.

To my opponent, Cris, I would like to thank you for making this an exciting race, the likes of which we have not seen in the Midwest since my race against President-elect Lumine back in February. I wish you good luck in your future endeavors and thank you for keeping this race one that was ideas, not personality, based.

I am glad to see that former Vice President Windjammer will be joining us in the Senate, and am nothing but impressed at his stellar victory in the right-wing Mideast Region. We on the left must be ready and willing to fight going forward; the election of Lumine is a definitive signal that unless we change our tactics, unless we make common cause with those who do not always agree with us, we will be crushed and our gains thrown to the wayside. I will not stand for a repeal of the great social legislation enacted by Labor under the most right-wing President-elect in Atlasian recent memory. You can count on that.

Keep up the fight, comrades.

[TNF]

"In recent memory"

Look at the list. A number of so called progressives are wholly responsible for the most radically right wing President in history.

Are you referring to Lumine, or?

[TNF]

The latest GM report shows a precipitous uptick in inflation. Naturally, the right-wing is out and about calling for an 'interest rate shock' to address the problem, which of course, would be an unmitigated disaster for everyone except those parasites which rake in the dough by means of debt ownership. There is one solution, and one solution alone, to address the inflationary spiral being precipitated by those parasites, the capitalists - their expropriation.

Unless we take into the hands of the public decisions over investment and finance, we will continually face this problem. We must respond to this uptick of inflation by establishing trade union and community control over investment, and establishing trade union and community control of the financial sector in its entirety. In addition, increased taxation of corporate profits and the personal incomes of the parasite class will allow for a just distribution of public spending for the actually productive members of our society, the working class. I will soon introduce a bill to provide for a means of socializing the financial sector and implementing community and trade union control over investment. I hope that I can ask for your support in doing so.

- Senator TNF

[TNF]

As I announced literally the day I was re-elected to the Senate, I will be seeking another term in the Senate.

[TNF]

As noted right-wing lunatic Cassius has announced that he will be challenging me for the Midwest Regional Senate seat, I will in the coming days unveil my re-election program. For now, let it be known that I welcome Cassius to the race and will thoroughly enjoy debating his particular brand of parasitic-apologism in any public forum and challenging whatever kind of buffet for the rich he proposes as his campaign program.

[TNF]

I have no respect for the class enemy.

[TNF]

It looks like it's open season, what with Dereich now parachuting in to challenge me as well in this contest. I welcome Dereich to the race, and will (as promised) be revealing my campaign platform shortly, over the course of the next few days. I would remind the voters of the Midwest that, whatever the fanciful rhetoric and whatever moderate posture the former IDS resident would like to stake out, his record is ultimately one of conservatism and backwards-thinking. His announcement statement condemns me for 'not connecting the Senate with the rest of the game', which of course is a ludicrous charge, given that my initiatives to decriminalize hard drug use and my support for the removal of federal jurisdiction on the marriage question has led to developments at the regional level.

I look forward to defeating whichever respective reactionary emerges victorious from the cesspool that is the Federalist senatorial primary.

[TNF]

In case it was not clear, you have my full and enthusiastic endorsement, Comrade-Senator. I look forward to continue defending our great country from the forces of fascism and reaction alongside you in the 66th senate.

Your support is of course much appreciated. I am glad that I have it.

[TNF]

ALL ABOARD THE RED SPECIAL!

Comrades, I'm pleased to announce the beginning of my very own whistle-stop tour across the Midwest. The train I'll be taking, The Red Special, is itself named after the very train that Eugene Debs rode across the country during the momentous Presidential Election of 1908. This train is an update, however - it is built with 100% unionized, cooperative labor out of our very own Midwestern train cooperative factories and its crew manages its own work without the need for management - a great example for us all of how our future society should and must be structured if we are to avoid the capitalist abyss.

Stay tuned as we roll into a city near you and present the outline of the socialist agenda for Atlasia! And feel free to join me in the smoking car for Full Bongmmunism, a special smoke session with yours truly and the comrades of the Nat Turner Brigade.