The Office of Senator Lumine (Victory!)

[Lumine]

On Kansas City and Other Issues:

June 5th, 2015:

Good night, my fellow citizens:

It is with a good deal of sadness that I speak to you today, for a tour of Kansas City revealed to me the extent of the damage caused by the massive tornado that struck our fair region a few days before. While awaiting for information from the GM is crucial the fact is that we as Mideasterners should not and cannot ignore the suffering of so many of our fellow Atlasians, and my thoughts and my prayers are with the victims of the devastation brought by this unfortunate event. It truly is sobering to be reminded of the power of nature.

I think this a prime opportunity to praise a member of the regional government, who has taken the initiative in reacting to this crisis. I refer of course to Speaker Harry Truman, who has proposed that the remaining budget surplus should be used as relief and recovery for Kansas City. Concerned as I am that neither the Governor nor the Assembly have made their thoughts available yet, I congratulate the Speaker on taking steps to deal with this crisis from the Assembly. I can only hope further action will be taken so our region can recover from this tragedy.

It's also a good idea to refer to the regrettable attempt on the President's life yesterday, a cowardly attempt at striking down the head of our government which also regrettably ended with a mob killing the culprit. I think this goes to shown that the trend of violence started in October 2014 is sadly not completely over, and I condemn this assault on the President just as I condemn the actions of those who would not respect the law of the land to kill a man who should have been put on trail.

Fact is, we have laws to be respected and enforced, and this is an issue that should be addressed. Whether I'm elected or not two weeks from now I will continue to speak up in favor of law and order issues and the need for a strong and independent judicial system to help all Atlasians, so we can continue to inflict defeats on terrorism, public violence and all the related challenges of the past months which have ended so many lives amongst our citizens.

Lumine.

[Lumine]

Thank-you for your support, Mr. President. With luck, Kansas City will be back on its feet before too long.

That is my hope as well, Mr. Speaker.

[Lumine]

Moving to the Final Stage!

June 9th, 2015:

Less than ten days left to polling day, and the campaign moves forward! It has been a fairly interesting month, finally returning to the campaign trail to re-energize myself and find again my interest on the game while also taking the chance to create a stronger bond with the region and, hopefully, build some lasting ties as well.

These final days are bound to be hectic as we will see the debate held between now Senator New Canadaland and myself, and they will see our last efforts to convince the voters. Some might feel discouraged in my position given the overwhelming odds and the ever increasing number of Laborites, but it is a challenge that I have thoroughly enjoyed so far.

So, to recap: During this month I have taken the chance to tour most of the region in order to address a good number of both local and federal issues affecting us all, coupled with the early release of both my platform and my ideas for a new term before the Senate. I have done my best to lay out this vision of pragmatism, activity and experience, a vision which I expect with resound with voters who have shown again and again that they prefer such a style than bombastic politics or politics born out of mere party politics.

I have spent the past two years serving on both the regional and federal government on a good number of positions, always active and often trying to find solutions to the many issues left out there to address. I've known my share of victories and defeats, but the accomplishments and the record are there to speak, and I can only hope that to the voter they reinforce the message and the style I seek to bring to the Mideast for the next four months if I receive your confident at next week's election.

We may or we may not win given the current numbers, but the fight goes on!

Lumine.

[Lumine]

Debate and Presidential Pardon Amendment:

June 11th, 2015:

The clock is ticking as the election is due in a week, and events move along. I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage Mideast voters to tune in to the debate being held between my opponent and me and graciously hosted by the Mideast Record-Courier. So far we have reached round two, and it's proving to be a fascinating contrast of ideas in what I believe will be a very exiting election (or at least a competitive one, and god knows we need that now more than ever).

Now that a voting booth is open to address the Presidential Pardon Amendment I also want to ask all of our voters to go to the polls and make their voice be heard. While I am an advocate for more responsibilities for the executive, my emphasis is there, responsibilities, not needless power. Presidential pardons have proved to be easy to abuse, and this amendment does correct some of the flaws the current pardon power has.

Finally, I'd like to encourage our representatives at the regional government not to forget about the Kansas City situation, as the relief passed by the Assembly is not enough considering what could and should be done about it. I do hope the Governor will find the time to visit the area so new and efficient ways to address this situation can be found.

Lumine.

[Lumine]

Election Time!

June 19th, 2015:

The election is upon us!

It has been a fascinating campaign so far, and I must say running again for office (my last campaign was in October) has been rather invigorating. But the campaign is over, and from and until Sunday both my opponent and I will face the will of the electorate. I thank those who have voted for me already (it's looking like a very close race now), and I want to encourage all the Mideast citizens to go to the voting booths and give this election the turnout it deserves.

And I suppose that's all for now, let us hope for a good result!

Lumine.

[Lumine]

Good luck, old friend!

Thank you, Maxwell! Although admittedly the results didn't go as I expected, xD

[Lumine]

Thank you for your participation in Atlasian democracy, and your courteous, energetic campaign. Good luck to whatever path you take next.

Thank you as well, New Canadaland, best of luck on the Senate!

On a side note, I may or may not have a speech ready, it might be one of my last ocassions to show some verbocity and I'm not inclined to waste that opportunity. Of course, the GOT game has all the priority now, so that might have to wait some time.

[Lumine]

I'm back!

July 18, 2015:

Former President Lumine (CR-OH) valiantly tours the Integrated Regional Defence Force and helps them fight the international communist conspiracy led Governor TNF.

Good night, my fellow Atlasians!

The past few days have seen debate on the much needed changes for Atlasia spiral out of control, and we have found ourselves on a truly critical situation. Governor TNF has attempted to bring a communist revolution to our beloved Republic, and not only has the administration remained indecisive and unwilling to act, but prominent officeholders have brought disgrace upon themselves by abandoning their duty or prosecuting witch hunts against our citizens.

To this, I say, no more!

Make no mistake, Atlasia needs to be radically changed if it's going to survive at all, and this should never be an excuse to shy away from what we need to address. But I am not prepared to see this nation find its end in such a ridiculous situation, and I am happy to emerge out of political retirement to play my part in the challenges to come.

I hereby appoint Lumine von Reuental as Pacific Senator.

Governor Simfan has been kind enough to appoint me as the next Pacific Senator, and I shall take office and formal registration in the Pacific Region on July 21st, the first day in which such a change of regions will be legal. In the meantime, I will take the time to tour and talk to the fine men and women serving in the Integrated Regional Defence Force who are fighting in the frontlines against the Red Menace, doing my best to aid them in their fight. Once I return to Nyman to serve in the Senate once again, I give to you my formal pledge to do whatever I can do to smash this coup and support the necessary reforms to save our nation.

I ask the White House, the Senate, the Regional Governments and our fine citizens and officeholders to defend the Republic against this aggression, so we can spare Atlasia from the absolute horror of surrendering to totalitarianism.

Arise, citizens and officeholders of Atlasia, and put an end to this absolute madness!

Lumine.

[Lumine]

Huzzah!

Excellent!

These traitors need to be stopped, and I think you'll be a big help in stopping them!

Most glorious news!

Great news!

Wonderful news!!!
Look forward to working with you while I'm stationed here.

Thank you very much for that warm reception!

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[Lumine]

Since we have five center-right members, anybody interested in trying a Senate caucus or a conference maybe with Cris as Leader/Chair and PiT as Asst Leader/Vice Chair?

This has been discussed before but never really had much interest. Cris suggested something similar in January, but it was just me and him so it wouldn't have been much fun.

Happy to support that, Yankee, Cris and PiT would be excellent in that task. Any chance you could open up a thread for that?

[Lumine]

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I'm pleased to announce that Senator and former President Lumine has agrees to undertake a special diplomatic mission to Saudi Arabia. We all know Lumine's expertise in the matters of foreign relations and I'm confident his mission will be a success.

I thank Secretary Kalwejt for the confidence he has given me by appointing me Special Envoy to Saudi Arabia. Having already served as Special Envoy to Ukraine and having met and crafted a relationship with the Saudi Crown Prince during my Presidency I am confident that a very productive dialogue can be established between Atlasia and Saudi Arabia that will benefit both nations during these troubled times.

That said, I leave for Riyadh now, to see what can be done.[/justify][/quote]

[Lumine]

Since we have five center-right members, anybody interested in trying a Senate caucus or a conference maybe with Cris as Leader/Chair and PiT as Asst Leader/Vice Chair?

This has been discussed before but never really had much interest. Cris suggested something similar in January, but it was just me and him so it wouldn't have been much fun.

Happy to support that, Yankee, Cris and PiT would be excellent in that task. Any chance you could open up a thread for that?

I would defer to Cris and PiT for the leaders in this case.

Sorry for not responding in a day or two on this matter, but you the know what kind of got real over that period of time. 

Where would the thread be best? This board or AFG?

This board, I'd say, I don't think it's formal enough to warrant using the government board.

[Lumine]

Exploratory Committee:
(yes, I'm serious)

August 31, 2015:

Former President Lumine (CR-OH) opens an Exploratory Committee for President, determined to make a formal decision one or two weeks from now.

First things first, I'm back using Michael Heseltine. Major is just way too dull...

Moving onto the key subject, the answer to the question is yes, I'm mad enough to consider a return. Having spent much of the time after I left the White House trying to find ways to still play a role, I have managed my share of sucess and my share of failures, and to my surprise I find myself one of the experienced Atlasians rather than the newcomer is used to be. Yet time passes, roles change, and Atlasia moves... fowards, we would like to think.

My friends, our Republic is in distress. We want reform, and steps are being taken to ensure reform, but the White House remains a supreme platform from which to act and make things happen. Any President elected in October will have to be active, experienced, and reasonable engaged with the public, and having been asked, having seen the polls, and having heard from several close friends of mine, I've decided it's worth thinking about it.

So yes, I'm opening an exploratory committee.

This does not mean a candidacy is imminent, because there are concerns to be solved and opinions to be heard (otherwise this would be a formal announcement speech). So I will look at the situation, see what potential support can be found, consider if a candidacy is realistic, and then make a formal and responsible decision one or two weeks from now, leaving plenty of time to tour the nation with an agenda if that is the road I decide on.

Either way, I'm done with dull elections, so let's see what can be done on that area!

Lumine.

[Lumine]

Running... for Pacific Senate!

September 9th, 2015:

Former President Lumine (CR-OH) announces his intention to run for a full term as Pacific Senator, dropping his potential bid for the presidency.

Well, I had plenty of time to think things over as my semester was ending, I talked to some friends and potential supporters, and asked the crucial question of "do you want to run?". And the answer was a no. First because I realized running for President this time would be somewhat of an ego trip rather than a genuine desire to serve the Atlasian public, second because I really do not have the time or the enthusiasm to go through some of the old dynamics, and third, because there is a certain committment I have been forgetting about.

When I took on the office of Pacific Senator I did so because I believed the region was in need to stable and consistent officeholders, and because the Senate was in need of new members too. And jumping to a national campaign after a less than stellar term to abandon my new region is, it has to be said, irresponsible and hypocritical if I take pride in being an active and engaged officeholder. Because of what I've already said, I am formally stating that I will not seek the Presidency in the upcoming election, but I will run for reelection as Pacific Senator. 

Over the month and a half of campaign left ahead I will do my best to put forward a platform that addresses my concerns and those of the Pacific citizens, and see if I can direct my current enthusiasm towards the legislative front, in which we need urgent help. The position I will run for reelection for may or may not exist a few weeks from now, but it has to be filled, and it has to be taken seriously.

So to the campaign trail we go!

Lumine.

[Lumine]

Standing up for the Pacific!

Or, Lumine flip-flops yet again

October 21st, 2015:

Yes, yes, I know exactly what you are going to say: Make up your mind, dammit! Well, I have made up my mind, and having changed my mind a few times on the course of my political career I don't why I should develop a sudden case of consistency. That is why I have, at what seems the last possible moment, decided to run for reelection for a full term as the Senator from the Pacific Region (or at least until the Con Con is over, at which point I assume the region and my position will cease to exist).

It shouldn't be a secret to anyone that the past twelve months have treated me in interesting ways, from public enemy to an incompetent administration to a somewhat polarizing President (at least going by the views of my esteemed opponents from the past), then the losing challenger to a Senator (an election which looks a bit ironic now), and finally Senator again, some sort of an elder statesman at the end of his shot lived career. Alas, I've made a point in my career to speak up when people seem to be abandoning their positions or indeed the nation, and for my final act to be one of disappearance as I simply jump ship just doesn't sound right to me.

No, it's up to the voters (not myself) to send me to go hell and it's them who will eventually take my Senate seat from my cold, moderate, hawkish and unionist hands. Until then, I might as well enjoy the ride and continue to promote political reform, greater attention and engagement on foreign policy, some degree of fiscal responsibility and a commitment to speak up when I perceive things to go wrong. I hope, sincerely, that the Pacific voters who are still out there will consider me deserving of another term to try and represent you to the best of my ability.

As always, my most sincere thanks to all of you,

Lumine.

[Lumine]

Endorsed!

Endorsed!

Terrible GLORIOUS news!

Endorsed!

Endorsed by me as well as Civic Renewal.

Endorsed!

Terrible GLORIOUS news!

Endorsed!

Many thanks, my friends, I'm proud to count on your support and onwards to victory we march!

[Lumine]

Endorsed. Let's both get in.

Best of luck! You have my support, per usual.

My most sincere thanks!

Current numbers have us at 72% despite a very late bid, so I must say I feel greatly encouraged so far. Let's hope these results become even better before the night is over! (so for the love of the gods, Pacific citizens, don't forget to vote)

[Lumine]

Victory!

Or, you thought I was gone for good, didn't you?

October 26th, 2015:

Thank you! Thank you, citizens of the Pacific!

While the results are indeed pending formal certification, the estimates from the Census Bureau and the esteemed Mideast Record-Courier put us at over 70%, which I take as a full mandate from the people of this region to represent them again in Nyman before the Senate. Given the limited campaiging and my own late entry I could not be more encouraged by such a show of support, and the region has my full gratitude.

There are many things to talk about, so let's make this brief:

Elections: First of all, congratulations to President-Elect Griffin. While it is no secret I simply don't like the man, an accomplishment is an accomplishment, and winning this particular election is nothing short of an epic victory. That has to be respected. Leaving that aside, I want to make a public homage to three men who did not make it, and whose loss feels crushing to me. Rpryor, my esteemed comrade, lost to the NNP in the Northeast, Homelycooking, truly the best of our public servants, and Cris, friend among friends, and who would have made the best of Presidents. My respect and my thoughts to all of you.

Nagas: This is going to sound bipolar (it's on purpose), but I will start by thanking my esteemed opponent by giving this region a somewhat competitive race, it was very exciting and even invigorating to see this region as an actual battleground in the fight for control of the Senate. That on the nice side of things. On the other, Mr. Nagas should feel lucky I don't sue him to his grave over his ridiculous accusations, and I refrain from doing so since the Nagas Report doesn't even qualify as a news source (that and because you can't sue for libel in Atlasia). Try harder next time!

SAOC: It is no surprise that I resent when people try to do as they please with the rule of law and they try to disrupt public order, so I condemn in the strongest possible terms the excessive measures taken by the so called SAOC, whose autority I do not recognize. I thus hereby command SAOC to stand down, and acknowledge civilian power as represented from the suitable regional officeholder, or, even better, the federal government. If anything, I hope the President, the Vice-President or the Secretary of Interior take action soon.

And I think that's all for now, thanks again, people of the Pacific!

Lumine.