The Political Tracker (Suspended)

[Lumine]

The Political Tracker:

(Typical 1950's television music)

Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I originally thought having a tracker for the Senate and the Presidential race was quite a good idea, and despite some mistakes I found it to be a rather enjoyable experience. Having an active media seems pretty crucial to the game, and I congratulate the Mideast Telegraph, the Observer, the Porcupine and our other newspapers in proving extra activity to the board. Since Atlasia needs more attention whoring, I decided to expand my efforts and turn that humble political tracker into something more in line with a news source, and so I formally open "The Political Tracker", where I will try to provide info on what's going on in Atlasia (with a focus on the races, of course) with a style that a good friend of mine defined as a simple, straightforward, mostly-objective source of "horserace stories". Thus, I will comment on the issues and the events from time to time, and I will provide some polls and some in-depth pieces on certain things that I find to be interesting. I can't define it as a newspaper, a show or whatever, but hopefully it will help Atlasians to follow the process more closely and it will keep my rants confined to this thread and my office, something in the benefit of all.

I hope to start running stories in the next few hours, we have a lot to cover between electoral speculation, some Senate debates, and of course, the important question... Who will be a part of DemPGH's Cabinet? Stay tuned!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

List of Articles:

June 26th - Setting up the Cabinet
June 26th - Regional and Cabinet Update
June 28th - The Road to New Elections
July 4th - A Farewell to Duke
July 6th - The White Rose in Nyman
July 9th - Advice and Consent
July 23rd - Corridors of Power
July 26th - Don't Just Vote, Get Active
July 30th - Fear and Loathing in Atlasia (Again)
August 4th - Cavalcade of Stars

[Lumine]

Looking forward to this. Is it going to cover both federal and regional politics or leave the latter to the "local papers"?

Both! Local politics may not be as active as they were last year, but they offer several interesting stories to tell (like the Pacific Stimulus or Riley's recent Mideast budget), and it wouldn't be really fair to ignore them while only focusing on the Federal level.

[Lumine]

Setting up the Cabinet:

Duke Cabinet to be retired, sources suggest a few surprises here:

"President-Elect DemPGH, New Picture"

June 26th: / 26, 125:

Shortly after his victory in the Presidential Election, President-Elect DemPGH has started the hard task of assembling a cabinet, opening a public thread to encourage applications until at least Friday this week, requiring some degree of compatible views and of course, decent activity levels. DemPGH decided to retain Fritz and Homelycooking, but it seems the rest of the Duke Cabinet is most definitely out. Superique and Simfan expressed interest in retaining their current offices, but some very reliable sources report a certain level of animosity between the President-Elect and those two cabinet members, which means that the current longest serving cabinet member will leave Nyman (in a move many perceive as a mistake given Superique's successful tenure as SoEA). DemPGH has also suggested that he is interested in having a Press Secretary and someone in charge of Military Affairs, with a potential GTO Ambassador as well if there's interest for the position. A few hours ago Secretary of External Affairs was struck down from the list, suggesting DemPGH had made up his mind. In the meantime, rumours point to Windjammer taking an extra position in the Cabinet, a potential job reserved for some Labor members (Gass and Bacon King might be possibilities), and the most interesting gossip of all: it seems the President might very well appoint a Federalist to a cabinet position, enacting a very interesting political move if true. Pacific Manager Oakvale also chose to step down from his post to leave the road open for the next administration after giving a well-recieved speech on his successful (in the eyes of most Atlasians) performance in the Pacific Region. There are of course other interesting events regarding local politics and the Game Moderator, but I'll comment on that later. Frankly, most of us are very interested in what will happen with the next cabinet...

[Lumine]

Glad to see this is continuing

I'll be reading too.

Thank you very much! I'll have another article or two set for today, there's a lot to cover!

Now, I do have a decent number of sources to obtain information, but more never hurt. If there's any Atlasian who wishes to see an article about something or wishes to let some thoughts to be exposed or some knowledge to be revealed, you have my formal promise of accepting messages that will be formally unattributable so the source will not be revealed in any way, just in case anybody is interested.

[Lumine]

Regional and Cabinet Update:

Governors move to act and react, SirNick to be GM?

June 26th: / 26, 125:

As the people involved in Federal politics scramble to look after the new Cabinet and think about the August At-Large election, the Regional Governors are making their moves in regards to the upcoming elections and new policies to be enacted. Talleyrand was sworn-in today as Northeast Governor, and he started his term with two executive orders and two bills for the Assembly. His orders involved enforcing the legislation regarding the opening of booths by the Chief Judicial Officer and appointing Napoleon as Lt. Governor, while the bills are designed to remove the cabinet and the size of the assembly (from 5 to 3), most likely in order to increase efficiency in the region. IDS Emperor Scott announced his reelection bid putting an emphasis on his bipartisan credentials and his support for free speech, and he is currently pushing forward a measure that would rename several counties in the South after famous artists and civil rights activists from the region. Midwest Governor Windjammer is set to resign after signing his last bill tomorrow, leaving Archduke Arturo Belano to take over as Midwest Governor. Likewise, TheCranberry has become Acting Pacific Governor, and Bacon King is expected to prepare an election in which Flo and Devin are rumored as candidates, with Xahar already having announced another quixotic bid. Finally, the Mideast has Gov. Riley introducing his budget before the Assembly, including a good number of cuts and a sweeping tax reform, a move that the Mideast Telegraph was very supportive of.

Returning to our speculation on the cabinet, a number of rumours have been swiftly debunked  (with Windjammer not taking another office). The President-Elect has announced that Former President Averroes Nix shall be the next nominee for Secretary of External Affairs, praising him as a friend and a capable man. Nix has already a lot of experience as President and Game Moderator, so he should be able to be confirmated quickly when the time come. Curiously enough, rumour has it that a Federalist was a potential pick, but ended up out of consideration. DemPGH has also stressed that there's a need for an Attorney General with wiki access, with Simfan once again offering himself for the position despite increased rumours of animosity with the future administration. But the biggest news of all is that sources close to the new administration have implied that Former GM and Presidential Candidate SirNick is to be offered the position of Game Moderator to replace Simfan. If true, this is a very interesting development, one that might imply either a push for unity or something else. Either way, the sources close to DemPGH report that there's some level of debate regarding whether Simfan should be kept or not after his political statements and the recent debate over the numbers.

EDIT: Made a few changes after new reports.

[Lumine]

The Road to New Elections:

At-Large campaign has begun, Pacific Governor duel, Health Care reform passes, Tmthforu for AG?

June 28th: / 28, 125:

It seems the At-Large elections are finally on, as the past days have seen a poll and further campaigns that bring the number of candidates to at least six. Dr. Cynic maintains his bid, Former President Polnut has started to tour the nation (and it seems his views might be getting more close to Labor than the Federalists as we speak), Flo and Deus have announced their third bids for Senate, Clarence has enjoyed from a lot of support from the Federalist base and Lumine announced his bid for reelection, with most of the Senators expected to announce soon as well. Polling suggest Griffin and Clarence fight for the leadership with Shua and Lumine behind, and the fifth seat open for TPP, Labor and the Democratic Republicans. With Labor unlikely to win three seats in the election, it's likely that they will be forced to fight for winning that last seat if they wish to retain Senate control after August, but given their large base this might not be that hard.

Cabinet announcements and speculation are still quite active, as President-Elect DemPGH gave a surprise by picking Hagrid from the old guard of the Federalists to be his SoIA, stating that he trusts him and that he has ambitious plans for the position. No official reaction has been disclosed, but it is a surprise that the domestic policy (technically, given the responsibilites of the SoIA) is to be in charge of a Federalist, even with such a vocal supporter of DemPGH as Hagrid is/was. Leaving the extra position aside, speculation now moves to the Attorney General, where sources close to the administration report that another Federalist will be offered the job, another former President, in this case Tmthforu94. If true, this means a team of elder statesmen for the next administration, and these nominees might be able to pass confirmation quickly save from a few surprises. It has also been reported that VP-Elect Windjammer has taken a very active role behind the scenes, pushing for Simfan to be kept as GM and making the case for Tmthforu, but this is of course unconfirmed.

In other news, the Duke administration scored a major coup in Domestic Policy by finally passing Health Care reform (with a few compromises) thanks to the work of the Federalists and Democratic-Republican representatives in Nyman and the President himself, with Labor Senator Tyrion joining the coalition to vote in favor of this bill, which acts as a contrast with single-payer by introducing free market elements and increasing coverage, an act that many have praised so far. The curious thing is that most of the Labor delegation ignored this and failed to show up to vote, and Former President and future SoEA nominee Nix stated that he was "embarrassed" at this failure, supporting several aspects of the Health Care bill. With the Iraq resolution facing a good deal of opposition by Labor, this might very well be the final triumph of the Duke administration. Finally, the Pacific is now preparing for the special election to replace DemPGH, with Labor's likely frontrunner Flo choosing to focus on the Senate instead, leaving Acting Governor TheCranberry, Councilior Devin and Xahar to contest the election, with Devin portraying himself as the candidate for economic recovery and TheCranberry pledging to follow the lead of Duke, DemPGH and Oakvale.

[Lumine]

A Farewell to Duke:

A new President in the White House, Labor on debate, Northeast and Pacific elections:

July 4th: / 4, 126:

President Duke only has a few hours left of his long eight month term, but it can be said he was inactive in his last moments. After a rather hectic week the President and the outgoing center-right majority in the Senate passed Health Care Reform with assistance from Labor Senator Tyrion, and Duke was also able to award several prominent Atlasians with the Order of the Silver Star and the Gold Star, including several Senators, both Vice-Presidents and the President-Elect. A few hours ago President Duke posted his final speech, a rather optimistic farewell in which he outlined the accomplishments of the administration, stating that The People and my team leave Atlasia stronger and more loosened up than when we entered her, and thanking friends, supporters and enemies alike for all their help. With a strong record, two landslide elections and a final approval rating of 75%, which marks the end of the Duke terms as a success in the eyes of most Atlasians. His cabinet leaves on a high note as well in regards to the approval ratings and the polls, with the notable exception of the AG vacancy (as many consider that Simfan is not the AG) and the GM. DemPGH and Windajmmer have made their final preparations to enter office, with Windjammer outlining proposals and ideas for his term as Vice-President while promising a bipartisan and reasonable approach and the President establishing a cabinet of elder statesmen that some may feel inclined to describe as a "Cabinet of Rivals". Consdering the new faces in Nyman, we have a popular Former President (Averroes Nix), a member of the Federalist Old Guard (Hagrid), a known figure of the left and curious pick (Snowstalker) and Napoleon, which certainly makes for an interesting dynamic.

In other news, TheCranberry holds a massive lead in the Pacific and is assured to win election as the next Governor, with challenger Xahar on second place and Devin last. The Northeast is bound to have a special election as well after the second deregistration of Mr. X, facing Dr. Cynic v. JoMCar, and Gov. Talleyrand is also expected to appoint a Chief Judicial Officer very soon. It should also be noted that the At-Large election continues to grow in size after JCL and Deus entered the stage (although Flo dropped out), both very critical of the establishment and several key issues for them (like wasteful spending and the deficit for Deus and Israel for JCL). If we were to adapt earlier polling to this scenario (using my earlier poll which I will post here as well), then Deus might stand a chance at winning this election. JCL would depend on the Federalist Primary to get to the election itself, and it's looking to be a fascinating approach with Clarence, JCL, Lumine and maybe Goldwater fighting for nomination. On the party front, the Labor Party has found itself with some trouble as their platform was voted down in a public vote, mostly over a percieved lack of debate and some minor criticism on behalf of moderate Labor, which continues to oppose going too far on nationalization and too isolationalist in foreign policy. Finally, Emperor Scott continues his fight on the Supreme Court against the Northeast Recognition Omnibus, and public discussion on the next Pacific stimulus (which may not be enacted in light of the recent GM unemployment numbers) has begun as well.

[Lumine]

First At-Large Senate Poll:

Results:

Senator Adam Griffin (i) (Lab) - 19.1%
Former Senator Clarence (Fed) - 17%
Senator LumineVonReuental (i) (Fed) - 14.9%
Senator Shua (i) (DR) - 10.6%
Former Senator Maxwell (DR) - 10.6%
Pacific Councilior Flo (Lab) - 6.4%
Former President Dr. Cynic (Lab) - 6.4%
Former President Polnut (TPP) - 6.4%
Senator Alfred F. Jones (i) (Lab) - 4.3%
Senator Goldwater (i) (Fed) - 2.1%
Former GM and Governor SirNick (TPP) - 2.1%

Total Voters: 47
% in regards to all voters: 27.81%

We're in for a really fun election, gentlemen! So far it seems three of the five incumbents have their reelection secured: Griffin leading the Labor vote, Lumine with Federalist-centrist support and Shua with his powerful voting coalition (even more powerful if Maxwell doesn't run and there are no other DR candidate, though Deus is expected to run again). Former Senator Clarence gets to second place and becomes an instant favorite to return to the Senate, seemingly firing up the Federalist base with his record. Taking Maxwell out of the scenario leaves us with a likely scenario in which Griffin, Shua, Clarence and Lumine seem like frontrunners, leaving the last spot to be fought between Labor challengers Flo and Dr. Cynic and TPP challenger Polnut. SirNick doesn't seem to have a real base of support here, and incumbents Alfred Jones and Goldwater seem in real danger of getting ousted from the Senate if these numbers hold (it should be noted, however, that only two Federalists can run).

[Lumine]

Napoleon: no adjectives necessary

Well, you have such a long history in Atlasia that I just couldn't find the proper adjective, Mr. President. My apologies if it seems disrespectful!

[Lumine]

The White Rose in Nyman:

DemPGH takes office, At-Large Election taking form, Midwest in crisis?

July 6th: / 6, 126:

And now the House of York sits in its throne of... Nyman. With President DemPGH firmly installed in the White House and after choosing Edward IV and the Yorkist cause as his symbol (hence the title), the administration has started working to pass their agenda and deal with the usual preliminary moves of the administration. As of this article, the hearings for GM nominee Napoleon have started already, with the rest to follow in the next days. Vice-President Windjammer was been the true star of the first days, holding an ambitious schedule in the Senate by preparing voting records and staying involved in the threads with activity levels that promise to be quite encouraging and effective. President DemPGH, on the meantime, has sent a seemingly effective redraft for the Demilitarization Act of 2014 and a curious redraft for the Public means Public Act which, while successful, has been opposed by half the Labor bench. The President has also taken a rather dovish approach to foreign affairs in a few interventions regarding foreign policy bills (Sanity in Foreign Policy Amendment, Ukrainian Technical, Economical and Military Aid and Emergency Resolution to Authorize Force in Iraq), pushing for reduction of spending in those bills and closing the door to intervention in Iraq (to the disappointment of the author and other Atlasians).

The At-Large Senate election has taken another turn with Shua's announcement that he will not run for reelection, being the second incumbent to declare his intentions and leaving Griffin, Alfred and Goldwater left to announce. This has propelled Deus into one of the favourites for the next election, having an immense amount of support within the DR's and the Libertarian camp in general. With the Federalist Primary all but declared with four candidates and Polnut as the only TPP candidate, the Labor Party faces an interesting situation. Despite having three candidates (if we consider Griffin and Alfred as running for reelection), they have low polling, which has been dismissed as nothing but a trick or a pattern that usually happens in Atlasia. Yet, sources close to the Labor leadership and some senior members of the party have expressed disappointment at the performance of the At-Large Senators, with some believing that both incumbents are not active enough and that Dr. Cynic has some problems regarding reliability. There's also quite a bit of resentment over Senator Griffin's hyperbolic comments on Iraq, in which he called the local population "savages" and suggested "turning the entire country into one sheet of glass", which has forced some Laborites to consider supporting other candidates outside of the party despite Griffin's strong polling and the support of IDS Emperor Scott. Finally, on regional politics, TheCranberry won a landslide victory over Xahar and Devin, crowning himself as the next Pacific Governor and facing the challenge of besting predecessors like Spamage, PJ, Tyrion and DemPGH. The Midwest is in another activity crisis without a candidate for Governor, and political operatives scramble through the region to find a candidate and prevent a write-in chaos (Tmthforu, Cris, AdamFitzgerald, ArturoBelano, Rooney and RR1997 have been suggested as potential candidates). The Northeast is currently featuring an active debate between Dr. Cynic and Mr. JoMCaR, with shots already being fired as we speak regarding styles and their very understanding of the inner workings of Atlasia as a simulation game.

[Lumine]

Second At-Large Senate Poll:

Results:

Senator Adam Griffin (i) (Lab) - 20%
Northeast Representative Deus (DR) - 17.5%
Senator LumineVonReuental (i) (Fed) - 17.5%
Former Senator Clarence (Fed) - 15%
Former President Polnut (TPP) - 10%
Former President Dr. Cynic (Lab) - 5%
Senator Alfred F. Jones (i) (Lab) - 2.5%
Senator Goldwater (i) (Fed) - 7.5%
Mideast Assemblyman JCL (i) (Fed) - 2.5%
Senator Shua (i) (DR) - 2.5%

Total Voters: 40
% in regards to all voters: 23.8%

With the withdrawal of Flo and Shua, the lack of interest by SirNick and Maxwell and the recent announcement by JCL the race has changed quite a bit, but some patterns remain despite the low turnout. Despite facing controversy over his gaffe on Iraq, Senator Griffin tops the poll and wins most of the Laborite support again, with Senator Lumine and challenger Deus (the absolute favourite of the Democratic-Republicans) tied for second place. Former Senator Clarence gets again a high result, and Former President Polnut surges to get to fifth with 10%, leaving the rest of the incumbents (Alfred and Goldwater) and challengers Dr. Cynic and JCL lacking a major base of support. Some have suggested the poll is not accurately representing Labor votes, but with only two Federalists in the election the next Senate might very well have Griffin, Clarence, Deus, Lumine and the fifth place fought between a Laborite (Alfred or Cynic) and Polnut.

[Lumine]

Advise and Consent:

Senate debates getting heated up, rivalries emerge and the Cabinet goes through the confirmation hearings:

July 9th:

With Atlasia watching the administration with expectation for the cabinet nominations for the past two weeks, it seems the center of debate and interest has turned into the Senate, which has gone through several interesting events in the past days. The confirmation hearings seem to be going rather well, with all nominees expected to pass nomination (With Senator Lumine is as of now the only Senator not to support a nomination, in this case GM nominee Napoleon) after explaining most of their agenda and answering a series of questions from most of the Senators. A poll on the cabinet nominees shows so far overwhelming support for Hagrid as SoIA and Nix as SoEA, but Atlasia seems to be rather divided in regards to Napoleon, Snowstalker and Simfan. The Senate also continues to discuss the proposal for bicameralism with quite a few interventions by Former President Duke and IDS Emperor Scott among others, and debate has also been quite active over new TNF and Griffin proposals to reduce military recruitment, further labor reform, lower the age of majority to sixteen and nationalizing power, fuel and sports, Shua's proposed increase in the number of teachers in Atlasia, Windjammer and Yankee's reform to the Dean of the Senate and Lumine's proposed intervention in Iraq, aid package to Ukraine and the repeal of the "An End to Imperialism Act" (with Senator TNF calling the Senate a "fascist sh**thole" after the bill passed and President DemPGH looking a bit tired with the recent focus on foreign policy). We also have the PPT election, which is currently on a tie between Senator TNF and Senator Yankee, with new polling currently suggesting strong public support for Yankee.

In regards to the regional governments, the Midwest seemed to have saved itself from a crisis with Arturo Belano running for Governor (and currently winning the special election without trouble) and Adam Fitzgerald and Cris running for Archduke (or so it seems). On the other hand, an attack by Senator TNF seemed to push Former President Tmthforu over the edge and he chose to move back to the Mideast, with the result of the Midwest losing an experienced Atlasian and potential Representative and yet another lengthy discussion on the role of the regional Senator, which included heavy criticism from Midwest residents like AdamFitzgerald and Cris. The Northeast is still preparing for the special election and Pollstergeist suggests a close race with an edge for Dr. Cynic over Mr. JoMCaR. On a final note, the main political parties are still in the middle of discussing their platforms, so it would be advisable for all Atlasians to check the Federalist, Labor and the People's Party threads (the DR's already held their convention) to discuss and review these proposed changes, given that activity levels seem rather low in these threads. Overall, it seems this Senate session (it's too early to tell for Atlasia as a whole) is bound to face strong opinions and a lot of controversial bills for many sectors of Atlasia (regardless of ideology), but with the Senate facing an increased level of activity and a great performance by Vice-President Windjammer in his first days in office the chaotic days of the Senate in November-December seem technically gone.

[Lumine]

Cabinet Poll:

Results:

SoIA HagridOfTheDeep (Fed) - 80/20% (Net Positive: 60%)
SoEA Averroes Nix (Lab) - 71/29% (Net Positive: 42%)
A.G. Simfan34 (TPP) -55/45% (Net Positive: 10%)
D.A.G Snowstalker (Lab) - 51/49% (Net Negative: 2%)
GM Napoleon (Lab) - 45/55% (Net Negative: 10%)

Total Voters: 41

It's pretty obvious that Averroes Nix and Hagrid are incredibly popular choices as SoEA and SoIA, backed by an overwhelming majority of Atlasian voters. That said, the rest of the picks seem to be a problem with public opinion as Simfan's positive margin can't compare to Hagrid and Nix and Snowstalker and Napoleon have negative numbers (more evident in the case of Napoleon with a clear majority of Atlasians not approving of his pick). Overall, the administration can expect to get the nominees passed through the Senate and Nix and Hagrid start with a lot of potential in the eyes of the public as good choices for the cabinet, but the rest of the nominees have a lot of work to do to reverse some of these numbers.

[Lumine]

In a world where GM Napoleon runs the numbers, I will never calculate 20/41 as a "clear majority". #calculusking

18 out of 40, Mr. President, and I tend to consider the percentage to make the poll worth analysing. Otherwise I'm stuck with saying it may or may not be like that, xD

[Lumine]

In a world where GM Napoleon runs the numbers, I will never calculate 20/41 as a "clear majority". #calculusking

18 out of 40, Mr. President, and I tend to consider the percentage to make the poll worth analysing. Otherwise I'm stuck with saying it may or may not be like that, xD

No xD necessary, we know the purpose of this publication. Explain how 20/41 is a clear majority of Atlasians. Your words, not mine.

Well, it's 20 out of 38, less people voted in that particular part of the poll. In percentage terms is 55 to 45%, and that coupled to the feedback I've recieved in the past days led me to define it like that.

[Lumine]

In a world where GM Napoleon runs the numbers, I will never calculate 20/41 as a "clear majority". #calculusking

18 out of 40, Mr. President, and I tend to consider the percentage to make the poll worth analysing. Otherwise I'm stuck with saying it may or may not be like that, xD

No xD necessary, we know the purpose of this publication. Explain how 20/41 is a clear majority of Atlasians. Your words, not mine.

Well, it's 20 out of 38, less people voted in that particular part of the poll. In percentage terms is 55 to 45%, and that coupled to the feedback I've recieved in the past days led me to define it like that.

No, its 20/41. Total voters: 41 No credible pollster has ever used this bizarre spin doctor math. The percentage of federalist senators that failed to make a single post in my confirmation thread is higher than the percentage of Atlasians who stated they disapprove of my nomination.

P.S. no mention of the five vote run that voted disapprove on everyone but Hagrid and Simfan (one disapproved of Simfan too). I'm disappointed.

Mr. President, I said this tracker was "mostly-objective" and I reserve the right of stating some of my opinions from time to time, do you wish for me to say that you are popular within Atlasia? My fellow Senators disagree with me on this issue and have indeed confirmed you, but I certainly don't speak for the Federalist Senators. Even if you consider me as acting like a spin doctor, you have to admit your pick as GM does not inspire confidence in the voters in the way that Averroes Nix or Hagrid do.

[Lumine]

The tracker is back, and I'm currently writing a two part update for the past days. In the meantime:

PPT Poll:

Results:

Senator Yankee (Federalist - NC) - 65.3%
Senator TNF (Labor - MT) - 34.7%

Total Voters: 49

While the election went 5-5 with Vice-President Windjammer not accepting the write-in votes and an eventual Supreme Court case which casts the result in doubt, there's no doubt that public opinion stands behind Yankee with almost two-thirds of the voters backing the Federalist Senator, with a turnout that almost reached 50 voters (quite an excellent number for polls like this). Perhaps an additional question could be asked in regards to the Vice-President's action, but it's not far-fetched to say public opinion is likely to stand with him based on this preference poll.

[Lumine]

Corridors of Power (Mega Update)

SirNick and Zuwo leave Atlasia, lawsuit after lawsuit in Nyman, Inks defeated in the Mideast and an activity crisis taking over most regional governments:

July 23rd:

Last time the Tracker covered Nyman the administration was facing the confirmation hearings, and most of them were indeed successful with Napoleon, Hagrid, Snowstalker and Nix passing the Senate with relative ease. That said, the Presidential pick of Simfan as Attorney General was defeated in the Senate after a rather curious hearing, which ended up with the Former Senator and GM launching a lawsuit against Vice-President Windjammer which so far has been ignored by the Supreme Court and described by the VP as "offensive". President DemPGH appointed Snowstalker to serve instead of Simfan, and a confirmation hearing is expected to be opened soon. But it seems the lawsuits wouldn't stop there, as the President Pro Tempore election was carried at the same time and it ended on a tie which faced Senator Yankee v. Senator TNF. Vice-President Windjammer chose not to accept TNF votes following his interpretation of the rules, which forced Senator TNF to launch his own lawsuit against the Vice-President. As of now the Court has not granted certiorari, but they have placed a temporary injunction on Yankee's certification which had put Windjammer in full control of the Senate for the time being. Both lawsuits have generated a lot of interest as we speak, and The Observer has described this situation as the "Era of Lawsuits". As of now, the Senate has passed the The Let Us Have More Teachers Act, End Sports Profiteering Act of 2014, Demilitarization Act of 2014, The Windjammer-Yankee Dean Reform OSPR Amendment and the Sanity in Foreign Policy Act (which was struck down by the President, who stated in his office his opposition to many foreign policy proposals). Many other bills are in final vote and the Senate seems to lack pieces of legislation to discuss in the future, which means the Senate is once again at the crossroads despite good levels of activity on behalf of the VP and many other Senators. Vice-President Windjammer also released his first activity scores, portraying TNF and Adam Griffin as the most "dovish" and Lumine, Yankee and Goldwater as the more "hawkish", and showing high activity levels that have four Senators at 100%.

And speaking of the Senate, it seems the At-Large election has cooled down somewhat, with the announcement that Goldwater will also retire from the Senate (which means two incumbents will step down as of now: Goldwater and Shua) and a lack of movement from some of the challengers. Others, like JCL, Dr. Cynic, Polnut and Deus continue to send proposals, speeches or, in Dr. Cynic's case, open a Q&A session. The political parties are still trying to get through with what has been called "Policy Season", with both the Labor Party and Federalist Party voting on several amendments to correct several issues (and here is where I ask all Atlasians to get to those threads and discuss policy, otherwise it gets kind of pointless). The Cabinet is also into high levels of activity when compared to the second term of President Duke, as we have SoEA Averroes Nix meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, taking a rather strong stance in Ukraine (and supporting the aid package as well), SoIA Hagrid granting funding for IDS Emperor Scott housing program and fighting a potential problem with food safety in Tyson Fresh Meats (Kansas), and Game Moderator Napoleon releasing news on the Malaysia airlines disaster in Ukraine, the food safety violation in Kansas, the first "group divorce" settlement in the Northeast and the worrying increase of HIV rates among sexual minorities in the Pacific Region, all along updated economic info for Atlasia as a whole (which include lower unemployment rates for all regions) and statements that explain that in Atlasia there is no immigrant crisis nor war among Palestine and Israel. To end the federal/national news, The Political Tracker is saddened to announce the departure of two veterans from the game, former GM and presidential candidate SirNick and former Governor Zuwo, who both deregistered a few hours ago without a formal explanation. Both men were friends of the author (and Zuwo was one of my mentors when I was new in the game), and they will certainly be missed by the nation.

Now, the regional government have had their share of news as well, with some seeing light at the end of the tunnel and others facing complicated issues regarding activity. Last time we saw the Midwest Arturo Belano was elected Governor, appointing Adam Fitzgerald as the new Archduke and Cris and Gass as the new Representatives, who as of now are projected to have won the recent election along with Hashemite (taking heavy criticism from Archduke Adam Fitzgerald), who took advantage of the lack of serious opposition to be in power once again. The Northeast faced major losses to the Assembly with the departure of three Representatives (including BaconBacon96, expelled by inactivity), and so far the two first special elections have ended up with the victories of Dr. Cynic (who continues his campaign for At-Large Senate while also being appointed Lt. Governor) and Mr. JoMCaR, with Former VP Matt being appointed Representative pending yet another election in which he will run. Gov. Talleyrand has had to face a rather complicated situation with so many elections, but Chief Judicial Officer Barnes has proved quite active and competent to help the region, and there's growing speculation over Talleyrand's choice for the Head of the News Agency. The Mideast seems to have collapsed despite the large population with the Mideast Assembly being inactive for the past twenty days and with Governor Riley facing a strange and inexplicable scandal of inactivity. Lt. Governor TJ has done his best efforts to keep the region running despite a family emergency, and he has pointed out that if the Mideast Assembly wishes so, Gov. Riley can be removed and replaced by TJ. In the meantime, the recent Mideast Assembly elections have brought the election of Spiral, Cassius and Franzl, with the shocking defeat of Inks by the narrowest of margins serving as a symbol of how times have changed for the once most active region of Atlasia. The IDS has Emperor Scott trying to implement the recent health care reform and his housing program, and the preliminary count of the IDS election has SJoyce, Oak Hills and a Person as the new elected Representatives, another strange result for the historical bastion of the center-right. Finally, the Pacific faced another crisis thanks to Flo's departure for the IDS, but Gov. Cranberry was able to save the day and end up with a council fully comprised of Federalists (Devin, Thomas Jefferson and newcomer Never) that is as of now starting to discuss some new proposals in the Pacific Council. As it stands, the Federal Government looks active and with issues to discuss, but there's a real mess in the Regional Governments right now. It's the third week of the new administration, and it seems Atlasia already looks a bit different in many ways...

[Lumine]

"The Era of lawsuits against the VP"

I considered the name, but it would be unfair, xD, you're doing a fantastic job!

[Lumine]

Don't Just Vote, Get Active:

Merger Referendum in the West, Shua leaves the Senate, Atlasia debates drugs, incest and inactivity and GAworth is back!

July 26th:

With the acitivity crisis in the regional goverments reaching boiling point in the past month with most regions struggling to find candidates or having a good amount of inactive officeholders, it seems many have reacted to address this issue as soon as possible. Governor Cranberry and Governor Arturo Belano opened the booth on a referendum regarding the potential merge of the Pacific and the Midwest, and like The Observer already pointed out, the referendum faces strong turnout and a negative response in the Pacific and low turnout and a lack of a true lead in the Midwest, which means that both regions will have to find new ways of avoiding stagnation. In the meantime, Cranberry and the Federalist Pacific Council continue to work as hard as they can, and the Midwest has recovered a valuable asset with the sudden return of former SoIA, Representative and Progressive Union Chair GAworth, who while promising to get back slowly might very well end up involved in the regional government soon. The Northeast also made the headlines with The Same Love Act, a polemic act that legalized incest and that, while passing the Assembly with a 5-0 vote drew harsh criticism by Former Presidential Candidate Winfield and from The Mideast Telegraph. It seems the Era of Lawsuits will continue as well, since while the Simfan case was dismissed by the Supreme Court Justice Oakvale has announced that the court will take TNF's case against Vice-President Windjammer, which means the Senate has to continue without a PPT.

The Senate continues to struggle to find new bills, but discussion is now animated into new proposals by Senator TNF to legalize hard drugs like cocaine and heroin (which has been rejected by a good part of the Senate) and introduce new holidays for Atlasia, which have sparked an interesting debate in those issues. GM Napoleon has released drug use numbers as well, with the revelation that about half the nation drinks and a quarter either smokes marijuana or tobacco, with other drugs not surpassing ten percent. Sadly, the Senate suffered a crippling blow with the loss of Shua, as the Democratic-Republican Senator (one of the most active and capable members of the Senate) announced that he will not serve the rest of his term, which means a special election will probably be held next week. It's too early to talk about potential candidates, but some believe some of the At-Large candidates will jump at the opportunity of winning this seat. In party news, the Federalists and the Laborites are getting closer to their new platforms, and both are expected to finally close their conventions in one or two weeks (and after all they have lasted quite a while). Finally, loonyism is back into the public agenda with newcomer WrathOfTheGods, a new Atlasia who has proposed a series of interesting (if completely insane) proposals to solve conflicts and issues like the supposed crisis in Venezuela (which requires clarification).

[Lumine]

Thanks for the complement!

No worries, Barnes, I believe you're doing a fine job!

You are very kind calling me an asset. I will take a hard look at returning to the Althing, or a merged legislature, depending on the outcome of the vote.

Excellent news, GAworth, I look forward to seeing you as an officeholder once again!

[Lumine]

Third At-Large Senate Poll:

Results:

Senator LumineVonReuental (i) (Fed) - 33.3%
Northeast Representative Deus (DR) - 22.2%
Former President Polnut (TPP) - 11.1%
Former President Dr. Cynic (Lab) - 11.1%
Senator Adam Griffin (i) (Lab) - 8.3%
Former Senator Clarence (Fed) - 5.6%
Mideast Assemblyman JCL (i) (Fed) - 5.6%
Senator Alfred F. Jones (i) (Lab) - 2.8%

Total Voters: 36.

With two candidates less after the departure of Goldwater and Shua and with low turnout for this one, we have a very weird third poll. Senator Lumine and Representative Deus increase their votes in regards to past polls, and it seems they have the support needed to win the election in August without facing too much problems. Somehow, Labor seem to lack votes here, as Alfred maintained his low performance and Griffin sunk from first to fifth, with Dr. Cynic experiencing an interesting surge when compared to the first poll. It should be noted that Lumine and Deus voters make up for more than half of the voters here, so I'm not inclined to trust this poll a very accurate. In the end, I think Griffin, Deus and Lumine (it's really weird to use 3rd person) will get the first three seats and the other two will be fought between Dr. Cynic, Polnut and Clarence.

[Lumine]

The Same Love Act Poll:

Results:

Approve - 47.5%
Disapprove - 50%
Undecided - 2.5%

Total Voters: 40

We have a divisive and really polemic issue here, gentlemen! With most of the Libertarians and a wing of Labor in support and several Federalists and Laborties against this bill, it seems the Same Love Act doesn't have overwhelming national support like the support it got in the Northeast Assembly. It's doubtful that the bill will be struck down at some point, but here's an interesting issue to debate for the candidates in the upcoming election.

[Lumine]

Fear and Loathing in the Campaign Trail (Again)

At-Large Election Special, covering all eight candidates!

July 30th:

Election season is back! The resignation of Shua from the Senate meant that Atlasia was to hold a special election this week in order to have a Senator with a one month term until the next At-Large Senators took office, and to the surprise of most of Atlasia an incredible number of candidates jumped into the race to replace the Democratic-Republican Senator. Eight of them, to be precise. Former Governor Spiral, Former Representative Poirot, Former Assemblyman JCL, Former President Dr. Cynic (along with his run for the formal election), Former Vice-President Matt from VT, Former IDS Legislator Mechaman, Former SoIA GAworth (via write-in) and citizen WrathOfTheGods. Polling has gone insane with the huge amount of candidates and declarations, but JoMCaR has started a mock election that should be interesting for simulation purposes. Most of the candidates have a Battle Royale-style debate in which they can attack as they please, but so far only JCL and WrathOfTheGods have actually debate, and they have done so about religion and the gods. Let's see a brief analysis of each candidate with some info, strength's and weaknesses.

Former Vice-President Matt (The People's Party): After his narrow defeat in the Presidential election in June 2013 and during his first term as Duke's Vice-President, Matt was in many ways one of the most promising figures of the center-right, and he enjoyed from a lot of support within the Federalist Party. However, during his second term as Vice-President he took some flak for supporting TNF in the February Midwest Senate election and in some issues, and he proved unable to be active while presiding the Senate. Matt is now back as a member of the People's Party and he seems like a powerful candidate for many centrists, but with his platform showing a shift to the left one has to wonder if Matt will be able to appeal to Federalists once again despite his major centrist appeal and the endorsement of Oakvale. Either way, Matt is one of the three strongest candidates for the seat.

Former Governor and Senator Spiral (Democratic Republican): Another rising figure of the Federalists at the beginning of the year after his one term as Senator, Spiral was Reaganfan's runningmate in the February primary for President. After moving to the Democratic-Republican Party he became the Governor of the Mideast, but like Matt he also had to face problems with activity. Eventually Riley challenged him for Governor and he stepped down, but he was recently elected as a Mideast Assemblyman. Spiral is now backed very enthusiastically by the Libertarians and the Mideast wing of the Federalist Party (with Gov. Riley drawing criticism after trying to secure an endorsement for him in the CPGR), plus Senator Goldwater and Former Senator Shua. If Spiral managed to draw significant support from the Federalists to survive the first rounds, he can also be considered one of the strongest candidates, but activity concerns and the recent differences of opinion between the DR's and the Federalists are significant problems he will have to overcome. Spiral has also stated he will not run for reelection should he win.

Former President Dr. Cynic (Labor): After a long period of what could be considered retirement, Dr. Cynic took Atlasia by surprise by defeating now President DemPGH in the Labor Convention of October 2013, and while the following months didn't feature him in a lot of offices, the former President is back on the stage as a Lt. Governor and Northeast Representative, currently campaining for both At-Large elections. Articulate and experienced, Griffin's departure from the election makes Dr. Cynic a formidable candidate despite his moderate views being at odds with the more activist wing of Labor, and if he can get most of the left behind him he might very well win this one. Either way, he should have enough support to win a Senate seat in the regular election.

Former Assemblyman JCL (Federalist): JCL has participated in many elections for Senate without managing to win a seat, but he has been close in several occasions. Active and with consistently strong views, he has a chance to overcome potential threats like Matt and Spiral as the sole Federalist candidate, but JCL faces constant trouble for some of his political views. So far Gov. Riley and other Federalists have already endorsed Spiral, and with JCL scheduled to make an announcement today many are intrigued as to what he will do. Despite the odds, it should be noted that JCL has received support from Vice-President Windjammer (not an endorsement, of course) as a potentially active Senator. If he can win most of the Federalist vote then he stands a good chance of winning, but it will depend on the Spiral-JCL battle for the votes of the center-right.

Former Representative Poirot (Independent): Poirot has been in as many elections as JCL has, but sadly he hasn't been able to win a Senate seat yet. Always an independent in good and bad times, Poirot was able to put up a good fight against Griffin and Lumine in march and win a good share of the vote, which opens the possibility that one day, the independent fighter of the Northeast will win a seat on the Senate. Poirot launched his campaign yesterday and he chose Oops I did it again by Britney Spears as his campaign theme. He has a chance to derail Matt's chances by drawing independent and centrist support, but it remains to be seen if he can replicate some the success he had in March in that front.

Former Legislator Mechaman (Bad Party): Mechaman is a troll candidate in many ways, but unlikely most troll candidates he has a chance to attract a significant amount of support that might influence the outcome of the election in many ways. Starting a Bad Party based on bad ideas (like supporting thermonuclear war and legalizing murder), Mechaman has been temporarily joined by ilikeverin and Maxwell and he got a surprising endorsement by Vice-President Windjammer, on the grounds that he will be an active Senator (with the Vice-President pointing out he didn't believe that Matt or Spiral could be active enough). If Mechaman can replicate the highest amount of votes that NM-AM received at the end of 2013, we could see an interesting outcome depending on where his votes are coming from. So far, Northeast Representative JoMCaR has described the platform of the Bad Party as "a huge pile of sh*t".

Citizen WrathOfTheGods (Independent): Wrath (I don't want to write the whole name) has showed an incredibly ability to adapt to Atlasia as another troll candidate, and he has been active on the trail advocating for a new currency system based on a gold and silver currency: the Sunshines and the Lunas. While Wrath doesn't have the 200 posts he needs to be a Senator, there's nothing stopping him from being a formal candidate for the election, and just like Mechaman, he might influence the outcome by taking protest votes from stronger candidates.

Former SoIA GAworth (P.E.A.C.E. Party): Shocking Atlasia by retuning after a long time away from the game, GAworth decided to create his own party, based on causes like energy security and independence, equality, an end to bitter partisanship and electoral reform. GAworth announced he would accept write-in's, and if he manages to draw support from the former members of the deceased Progressive Union he stands a small chance of influencing the outcome, although this is doubtful with so many other minor candidates standing as well.

[Lumine]

I've got to say, this is the most well put together news outlet I've seen in years. You do your research and your coverage of the national scene is second to none.

Thank you, Mr. President, it really means a lot coming from someone who has witnessed so many events across the history of Atlasia. I really enjoy writing about politics (especially since it allows me to practice my english), and this is certainly a great way to do it without looking like I'm spamming Atlasia, xD