The Crusader (Public Service Announcement)

[Lumine]

Captain Pericles LIVES!

Found safe and sound in Fremontville
President nominates hero as VP
General Zod-tagn and Federalist Rogues' Gallery are livid

₁

_____________________________
^{1.) Original Images:
Senator Doug Jones, Senate Democrats, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.
2.) Original Image:
Free stock photo of comic, superman, Mike Navolta, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.}

[Lumine]

A Tribute to the First Minister

It was in June 2013 that Maxwell decided to run a most curious poll, one whose concept was both trilling and memorable, an initiative that I found myself vaguely remembering not long ago and which was found through the search function some minor difficulty. The idea was to poll the younger - or then prominent - generation of Atlasians as potential candidates, asking voters to choose three that would make a good President. Against significant competition - though few of them remain in the game -, it was then Senator-elect Scott who topped the poll, 46% of those who responded expressing their belief he would make a good President.

And it is perhaps one of the interesting things about our Republic that many promising individuals, many of which with long and distinguished careers, never reached the top office. It matches real life very well, and it affects men and women - like Scott, Siren, Superique and others - who during my early days in the game seemed like inevitable Presidents on account of their skill, or empathy, or brilliance. These have been great contemporaries I've had the privilege to play the game with, to share experiences, to run with or against them, and in this case, perhaps to outline a thought or two on their careers.

By the time I joined the Republic as a simple citizen, Scott had more than a year and a half in the game, and a distinguished career as a public servant. I only started to know him personally during the fascinating days of 2013 as someone who seemed to share my near-permanent distate for a two-party system, as in the aftermath of the slow and agonizing death of the mighty Liberal Party he founded the unforgettable Light Party, a political vehicle that dared to be different, that set out an interesting course which removed itself from the predictability of a dull axis between the binary alternatives and, I suspect, the mediocrity which bothers so many of us even when we ourselves fall into it.

Of course, there is no such thing as the perfect player, nor is there a point in attempting to paint anyone as such. Scott, as he himself noted, could fall into harsh fights with a rival or two. But in his behavior, in his performance in office and in the efforts he helped lead he displayed one of the most special and valuable traits a player can possess: he cared. About his region, about his party, about his friends, about the game, and successfully led both the old Northeast and the new Fremont, served the Republic from the Senate and the Cabinet, and has altogether seemed like one of the individuals the game needs the most: those who will work tirelessly for the good of the Republic.

His hopefully temporal departure is indeed just cause for sadness. But it should also be a cause for celebration of his service to the game, and for remembering the good that can result from the presence of a player who has been with the Republic for, if calculations are correct, more than eight years. It is my sincere hope, as I believe it is the hope of every citizen of the Commonwealth and the nation itself, that he will prevail over the very real and very serious struggles that so many face, and that he will do so with the commendable bravery that characterizes him.

Personally, I cannot let the opportunity go without at least celebrating a player of skill and decency who deserves not only respect, but sincere gratitude over his personal and political contributions.

[Lumine]

Election Weekend Special

Atlasia Decides, February 2020

Lumine: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Today we announce the return of The Crusader, back from a hiatus of a few months. Following the tradition of The Political Tracker, we will be offering coverage of the February 2020 Election starting now and until Monday, a special that should involve updated results, some commentary (within reason), and interviews from relevant Atlasians who wish to comment on the election as it develops.

This weekend will feature elections for the Presidency, House of Representatives, Fremont, Lincoln and Southern Senate, Fremont First Minister and Parliament, and the referendum on The Democracy is Not For Sale Amendment; a combination of mostly competitive races that should feature some interesting results. Our first interview is coming in the next few minutes, so welcome, to the Election Weekend Special.

[Lumine]

Lumine: Our first interview will be with none other than President Pericles, running for reelection tonight.

An interview with President Pericles:

Lumine: Mr. President, a pleasure to speak to you today. We’re on the eve of yet another Presidential Election, the second in which you’ve lead a major ticket and the first you face as an incumbent President. Mere hours before the vote starts, how do you feel about the election?

Pericles: I'd say I feel cautiously optimistic about the election. The indicators I'm seeing are positive, and there seems to be broad support for my progressive vision for Atlasia. I think it helps that Adam Griffin did a good job as President and most people are satisfied with how he did. I'm also proud of how, despite a competitive primary, the Labor Party has managed to come together. That said, after my experiences in Atlasia I am always a bit paranoid leading up to elections. It is also a bit unhelpful that expectations are set extremely high for my performance, which is the downside of having a great result like we did last October. In any case, as I've repeatedly emphasised, us in the Labor Party and the left must not be complacent but put in the effort, make our case and if we do that I think we'll get a strong result.

Lumine: If you had to describe this whole campaign in a single word, which would you use?

Pericles: I'm going to be brutally honest and say 'disappointing'. That's not a reflection on my campaign or how it is doing, but I am thinking in terms of good game play and a vigorous debate for the public. I feel that this election has been overly personality focused and seen too many personal attacks with not enough policy debate. In particular, the Federalist Party has combined two big complaints about them-that they run on vague personality cults rather than policy, and that the more recent one that they're not trying properly and giving 100% effort. This cycle, unlike usually when they are guilty of one but not the other, I believe they are guilty of both critiques. While it is gratifying that both major tickets support the present policy approach, voters should probably have more choice in their elections. For the second cycle in a row, their ticket has formed very late, and this time too late for even a presidential debate. And more broadly public campaigning is becoming rarer and decreasing in importance, which I see as a sad development. So what can I do about it? Well, I've run an active, public campaign. I've laid out my policies clearly for voters and set out the choice in this election. And I am pushing the same points in PMs as I do in public. I lead by example in this area, and hopefully in the future we can have competitive, policy-focused elections.

Lumine: For the past few months you’ve been serving as Griffin’s Vice President. Now having held the office, do you feel the Vice Presidency is working well? Do you think there are any changes or reforms that should be done to that office?

Pericles: The Vice Presidency is a hard job, as I expect you know, and it requires a strong commitment. I don't see it as being structurally flawed though, and while I'm open to reforms there are none currently that I plan on making and I don't necessarily see a need for reforms. One thing I do want to add though is that the Vice Presidency and Congress function based on the activity levels of the Vice President. I provided great activity to it, Peanut is also providing great activity too and I expect him to be excellent in this role over the coming term. However, I do worry about the consequences for Congress and for the game if we elect an individual who has a worse activity record than weatherboy as Vice President. I believe that voters need to weigh this up and it would be wrong of me not to raise this valid concern.

Lumine: By the latest numbers of the Census Bureau, the Labor Party is exactly three members short of having 50% of the game’s citizens. Is this a positive or a negative development for Atlasia? And if so, why?

Pericles: Having served as Labor chair recently, and being the dominant leader of the Labor Party, I am incredibly proud and pleased at the success our party has achieved. It's because of the hard work we have put in and because we are offering what most Atlasians want-active, progressive leadership. I also disagree with people trying to rubbish our success, with claims that we just lied to voters in PMs and even more absurdly using the excuse that "it's a left-wing forum" (which we all know was not enough to put it in the bag for the left in the past). Perhaps the game would be better off if it were more competitive, but honestly Labor has every right to give elections and policy our absolute 100% effort. We have set a tough challenge for other parties, but ultimately I am sure that they will find a way to meet the challenge. For historical perspective, we are only at a reverse October 2017 in the election cycle. So I would say it's a positive development for Atlasia, and I'm proud of helping achieve it, but those who think it is a negative development can have some assurance that eternal Labor dominance simply isn't going to happen.

Lumine: And on that note, what do you make of the present situation of the right?

Pericles: Well, I'm reluctant to give too much away here because I don't want to help the right out too much. That said, my opinion is that the Atlasian right has become too extreme. They naively assumed that they could coast on personality based campaigns forever and voters wouldn't know or care about what they actually stand for, however over the course of several months the impression of them as far-right did sink in. Gradually they have lost votes as a result. If they were to run a centre-right campaign, that did strike a clear contrast, with a credible candidate, that would be their best move. I'm thinking of something like the campaign you and tmth ran last year, and I've said that the Federalist Party is not the centre-right party of Yankee and tmth anymore. Also, as Labor has put in the hard work, so does the right. I won't specify what exactly that involves, but I think what they haven't been doing is obvious to their party leadership. As I emphasised before though, the right is not dead and will come back eventually.

Lumine: Assuming you were to win a full term by Monday, what do you think will be the biggest challenge of a Pericles White House? And what would be the biggest priority?

Pericles: It seems to me that in Atlasia it's pretty much always that people are more excited and committed for electioneering than governing. So I do have an ambitious agenda for my presidency, and I need people to remain committed to passing it into law. I've seen Presidents come and go, some good, some bad, and I've learned from their presidencies. I'm absolutely determined to make the most of the opportunity of a full term, if the voters choose to elect me. As for my biggest priority, well there are three big ones-action on climate change, income inequality, and gun violence. If I have to pick one, I'll go for climate change. This is because of how it is so important, the threat to the planet is so great and we have such a narrow window of time to stop it being completely catastrophic.

Lumine: Suppose for a moment you could instantly change a single thing about the game, regardless of whether it would be feasible - or even possible - to do in RL. What would you change?

Pericles: I would make it so that every voter makes their decision by viewing the Fantasy Elections boards, paying attention to what candidates do and say and judging them based on their platforms. I'd much prefer to have that than the game dominated by zombies on Discord who don't really care about the game, don't take it seriously and just vote for their friend or whoever mildly amuses them. I think the public campaigning aspect of the game is pretty cool and we need more effort and attention devoted to it. We can only get that though if both voters and candidates make that a priority. Sadly, I am pretty sure this won't happen, and instead things will probably get worse in this regard, as an ever smaller share of the electorate actually pay attention to the game. I've done my best to publicly lay out my case and policies in a serious way, and to also involve Labor members further in Atlasia. Laborcord is a big, positive community and has some benefits in that regard. However, there is only so much I can do here.

Lumine: I do think this is the third interview we’ve had thus far. The first was right after your first presidential run, the second when Labor was starting its revival to the detriment of PUP. Obviously, quite a lot has happened in nearly two years. As you look back on your career, what is your proudest moment?

Pericles: That's a tough one. I'll go for the October 2019 election results. It was truly an incredible achievement, I am very proud to have been part of it as Griffin's VP and part of the Labor leadership. I was so elated, as the left and therefore I think Atlasia too have come so far in recent months. It was a resounding endorsement of what we had done since the very tight June election, and it enabled me to serve effectively as Vice President and for Labor to continue moving Atlasia forward. I am proud to say furthermore that Griff and I have vindicated the trust the voters placed in us. We now need to stay on track by voting for Pericles/Peanut.

Lumine: And on that note, what is your biggest regret?

Pericles: To be honest, I do have quite a few regrets. I think the biggest one was that I did make mistakes with my campaign in February 2018 and so failed to win that election. My performance was a good one in the context of the time, and it did begin the left-wing recovery. However Atlasia deserved better than more right-wing government, and back then I did have a positive vision for change that would have improved the game. At the very least, I think I would have done a better job than weatherboy. Also, a win in that election would have prevented the divisions in the left of mid and late 2018, and made PUP the dominant party of the left. That would have kept the team from then together. I also think that as a more selfish reason, a win then would have gone down better historically than any win for me now-in that it would have been seen as a more shocking and impressive result. On the other hand, one can never be sure of how things would have gone differently. And one thing I have some confidence in is that I am more ready for the presidency now and a full term for me now will be better than a hypothetical full term for me in the past. And more broadly, there are plenty of other regrets, but I have reflected on and learned from my mistakes.

Lumine: Any final words at the end?

Pericles: Ok, I'll just say this. We are on the right track now as a nation. We have active leadership, with reasonable progressive policy-making. I want to build on the achievements we've made in the last 8 months and go further, so that we start the 2020s strong. My fundamental vision is of a game where everyone has the opportunity to succeed, where if you work hard you can get ahead and that our middle class prospers instead of being squeezed. Through better safety for our citizens with gun control, protecting our future and national security with climate action, and most directly with action on income inequality to create a fairer tax system and help hard-working Atlasians, everything links into this vision. I will work very hard for you, to get it done. So let's stay on track and vote for a brighter future with Pericles/Peanut. Best of luck to everyone in the coming elections, and I hope you all have a fun weekend. And finally, thank you very much Lumine for this interview, and of course it is great to have you back in Atlasia.

[Lumine]

Lumine: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It’s time for Friday’s coverage to start, and we have our first results; some twelve hours hours after the polls were opened:

Federal Turnout:
16,25% (39 voters)

Presidential Election:

Koopa: 35.9%
Pericles: 35.9%
HCP: 20.5%
Hillgoose: 7.4%

House Election:

Write-in: Cinyc: 25.6%
Razze: 15.4%
Leinad: 12.8%
Write-in: Lumine: 12.8%
ReaganClinton: 10.3%
Roblox: 7.7%
LouisvilleThunder: 7.7%
Blair: 5.1%
Elcaspar: 2.6%
Thumb: 0.0%
Young Texan: 0.0%

Senate Races:

Fremont:

Scott: 100%

South:

LouisvilleThunder: 68.2%
MB: 31.8%

Lincoln:

Tack50: 75.0%
Poirot: 25.0%

Fremont House of Commons:

ASV: 36.5%
Ishan: 27.3%
Koopa: 18.1%
Meepcheese: 18.1%

Constitutional Amendment:

Fremont: YES: 80% / NO: 20%

South: YES: 46% / NO: 46% / ABS: 8%

Lincoln: YES: 43% / NO: 43% / ABS: 14%

Lumine: Turnout is barely above 15%, but these are quite interesting results. President Pericles seem to be under perfoming at the moment as challenger Koopa maintains a virtual tie with the incumbent, with HCP polling a more than respectable 20% and Hillgose remaining in fourth place. The picture becomes more positive for the Labor Party when it comes to the Senate in light of strong performances by Tack and by the unchallenged Scott, although as of this moment the Southern results would represent quite a reversal as LT surges ahead strongly in the early vote.

The House is harder to read on account of the large number of candidates, but thus far the "opposition" vote is far ahead on the popular vote, and the write-in candidacy of Cinyc appears to be a stellar success as he leads the vote, followed by a strong second place in Razze and with Leinad and Lumine fighting for third. Leaving asidde the Fremont House of Commons - which can expect all of its candidates to be elected -, the Constitutional Amendment appears to be struggling with only a strong positive vote in the Commonwealth, both the South and Lincoln featuring an uneasy tie.

[Lumine]

Lumine: We have our second interview of the weekend, this time with Southern Governor West_Midlander. Let's have a look at what he had to say:

An interview with Governor West_Midlander:

Lumine: Mr. Governor, thank you for joining us. Among other things, the South is seeing quite a fascinating result for Senator and for the Constitutional Amendment. What do you make of these results thus far?

West_Midlander: Granted, it's still very early in the vote. I think the amendment is doing as expected in the South. I saw in The Crusader that LT is doing well in the early results. I expect the result for Senate to be close, though I don't know who will win. I am surprised, however, that the amendment is struggling in Lincoln where the nays and ayes are tied. I would have expected the amendment to be favored in that region.

Lumine: And in federal terms, any thoughts on the battle for the Presidency and the House?

West_Midlander: I think Pericles and Labor are favored for the Presidency and the House, respectively. A significant section of voters are splitting their tickets, so how things turn out exactly; we'll have to wait and see. I approve of almost all the House candidates, on both sides of the aisle. We have a lot of talent in the running to serve the country this weekend.

Lumine: I think it would be fair to say that your change in registration has led to a controversy as of the last few hours. Now, you were in the Federalist Party once, what would you say was the biggest factor in returning to it?

West_Midlander: As was the case when I was last a member of the Federalists, the party is very welcoming regarding diversity of opinion. The party is a genuine big-tent, spanning from Southern Conservatives to as some would describe him, "centre-left" Congressman ReaganClinton. I will not go into specifics out of respect for my former partisans. In short, I think I will be able to more freely express my views within the Federalist Party.

Lumine: Some officeholders have been very critical of you personally. What would you say to them?

West_Midlander: They can say what they like. My views have not changed. I will continue to put people and region above party in honoring the oath I took to defend the Constitution of this region and our country.

Lumine: Being more specific, PSOL has not only advocated for your recall, but also implied a parallel government should be set up, or that the federal government should take action. What do you make of this?

West_Midlander: This is an unfortunate circumstance because I had thought PSOL and I were on good terms particularly due to my involvement in his causes including the ACLO, which he is the former Chair of. In my view, recall is fitting when an officeholder violated his or her oath of office, which is not the case here since the issue at hand is my party registration. The second proposal would be, I think, an unprecedented move in reaction to an officeholder changing parties. Though, I don't think either proposal will come to fruition.

Lumine: As February rapidly comes to an end, how would you describe your tenure leading the South thus far? What do you think has been your biggest accomplishment?

West_Midlander: I have been as effective as I can be given the Chamber leadership. I loathe to call anyone out and Tim is a friend but I have called for the Chamber to move to a vote, I believe twice, on three bills each. Delegate Weatherboy has done the same on another piece of legislation. I have hesitated to do so more often in order to give the Speaker the benefit of the doubt. In the previous session, the then-Deputy Speaker stepped in when the Speaker did not fulfill his duties in a timely manner; however, that has not transpired this term (regarding the current Deputy).

I have appointed a delegate and an Attorney General, I created a regional holiday via executive order and proposed an amendment to Delegate Spark's Regional Sport Act. However, I have not had the principal act of achievement of an administration yet, signing a piece of legislation, as none has been sent to my desk. Out of these, my accomplishments, perhaps the regional holiday, Southern Adoption Day would be my favorite accomplishment in the absence of signed legislation due to the lack of passage of legislation.

Lumine: And from the opposite point of view, your biggest regret?

West_Midlander: It's not so much a regret as a disappointment in the Chamber's inactivity. My general inability to convince some delegates to be active on a regular basis is a continuation of that pattern, from them, despite my prodding (as a Delegate, then) in the previous term (even under the prior administration).

Lumine: Finally, Mr. Governor, what would you say is your single biggest priority moving forward?

West_Midlander: The priority of this administration is reviewing previously passed legislation in the pursuit of repealing or amending where necessary. In the interest of fiscal responsibility, as I said when I ran for Governor; I don't plan on any large spending programs, though I may introduce legislation to aid the Southern environment or to encourage transportation in the region. Unemployment is low nationally and regionally. Previously in the IDS, a tax credit law for small businesses was passed when unemployment was a problem; however, that is not a major issue at hand at the moment.

If I had to choose a single priority at this moment, for my administration, it would probably be the passage of the 2020 Euthanasia Ban. I noticed the ban had been repealed in a prior session of the Chamber, a long while ago. Opposition to euthanasia is a view I had held as a Laborite. Consistent with my pro-life belief is that every life is sacred and that life begins at conception, so it should not be wasted and people should not be coerced into euthanasia as occurs when that practice is legal.

Lumine: Governor West_Midlander, ladies and gentlemen. Stay tuned for further results in a couple of hours!

[Lumine]

Lumine: As Saturday moves ahead - we'll be forced to delay detailed results until the night -, we do have two consecutive interviews, with Lincoln Chancellor Jimmy and with former President Fhtagn. Here's what we discussed:

An interview with Chancellor Jimmy:

Lumine: Chancellor, welcome to the studio. An almost mandatory question to start with, what are your thoughts on the current election results?

Jimmy: It's too early to say what the outcome will be, but I think the left has a slight advantage heading into the weekend. I have been a strong supporter of Pericles since he announced his run for President and I am encouraged by the results that he will be our next President. Senator Tack50 looks to be on path to win reelection.

Lumine: You were among those who voted against the Constitutional Amendment. What would you say are your objections to it, and do you think Lincoln will end up voting against ratification?

Jimmy: I voted no on the amendment because I view it as a major opening towards the rights of groups to have their free speech rights being limited. The goal is noble towards reducing the impact of big money in politics, but it leaves to opening towards the majority party using this to find ways to limit the fundraising abilities of the minority party(ies) or candidates, while allowing their supporters to continue giving them money. I do expect it to be ratified however.

Lumine: In your time in Atlasia you have held quite a few offices already, including the Vice-Presidency. What has been your favorite office to hold thus far, and why?

Jimmy: It's true that I have held basically every office at this point except the Presidency, Senator of any of the three regions, and Southern CoD. Personally, I feel the best office was my first, when I took my seat in the Lincoln Assembly in January of 2018, after first joining in December of 2017. However, the most productive I think was my tenure in the House. I hold the distinction of being the only Speaker to be elected non-concurrently since the reset in 2016, as the 6th and 9th Speaker of the House, totaling over 9 months of service in the House. Serving as Vice-President had a different feeling of responsibility, since the federal legislature would be completely stalled if I wasn't active enough.

Lumine: A controversy has erupted in the South concerning Governor West_Midlander, one in which you have commented elsewhere. Any thoughts you’d want to share on this?

Jimmy: While I was not really shocked that the Southern Governor switched parties, with his appointment of fhtagn as Attorney General for the region, it still came to a surprise to many. Especially after such a close election where party members including me directly or indirectly helped his campaign, that lead him to winning. I'm sure many of his voters or supporters feel betrayed at the fact as I do. What West_Midlander should have done was resign to face a special election, just like Senator Vern did last year after changing parties. In the situation that he still wins the election, at least he now has a mandate to govern the Southern Region with the support of his new party.

Lumine: What is the single biggest challenge that Lincoln faces right now? And do you have any plans to address it in some form?

Jimmy: The biggest challenge Lincoln has right now is finding ways to reduce poverty, and helping those who have low-paying jobs that can barely can afford to live. A plan for UBI has been proposed, which I oppose and I will explain why next, but I look forward to finding solutions that will actually work at achieving the goal of making Lincoln the best region for workers and everyone else to live in. I have been looking at reforming Lincoln's income and family assistance programs to make them more effective so that those who need help are not unable to receive it or receive enough due to requirements that don't account for the economic and living situations of individuals and households beyond gross income.

Lumine: Chancellor, UBI has emerged as a policy proposal which has drawn some interest among officeholders. Now, you have expressed your opposition to it, but I’d like to delve a bit deeper. What you think would be the problem with UBI? Would your biggest objection be ethical/of principle or in practical terms?

Jimmy: There are several issues I have with implementing a universal basic income (UBI), both on the regional and federal level. Besides the incredibly large cost of doing so, there is also the great risk of labor participation decreasing, since is the chance some people would decide to just try and live off the UBI, especially in a household where multiple people are receiving UBI payments. This would be disastrous. And then there is the unavoidable inflation that will result from people receiving UBI payments, which will result is price increases on goods, and thereby reversing any gains from having the extra money. All this makes me see UBI as not the solution to poverty and low-wages in Lincoln or at the federal level.

Lumine: There’s talk in Lincoln regarding moving the council elections to coincide with the federal midterms. What would be the advantages of this for Lincoln?

Jimmy: Having the council elections moved during the federal midterms will make sure that voter turnout is at its highest. It will also create more uniformity in the Atlasia election schedule, which is helpful for newbies and everyone in general.

Lumine: A final question, Mr. Chancellor. Is Lincoln on the right track? And do you support its current system of government?

Jimmy: I think Lincoln is holding steady police-wise and activity has been pretty good this council. Regarding the current system of government, while I did vote for the Philly Plan referendum, as many know I am not a big supporter of it anymore and I am not opposed to going back to the assembly system; I support at least making important reforms to it, since I think the system Fremont is better, coming from someone who also served in their legislature.

Lumine: Thank you, Chancellor, a pleasure to talk to you.

An interview with former President Fhtagn:

Lumine: Madam President, a pleasure to interview you again.

Fhtagn: Thank you for taking the time to interview me this weekend, I'm glad to be doing this again, and glad to see you back in Atlasia.

Lumine: Quite an interesting set of results we’re seeing. Do you have any thoughts on the election thus far?

Fhtagn: Certainly some interesting results, especially since it seems the left expected the right to do nothing this election. As far as my thoughts, personally, I think this election is going to send a clear message to the current administration that they don't quite have all the support they think they have, and hopefully it reminds them that they can't get away with trying to force through their agenda without the people willing to hold them accountable.

Lumine: Perhaps one of the most significant decisions of the past few weeks has been your announcement that you would not seek reelection to the House. What would you say was the biggest factor in this decision?

Fhtagn: While it may come as a surprise to the public, behind the scenes, the right has known this for quite some time, as I've made my intentions clear about my plan to take a break to some leaders as far back as October, explaining to a few more during December's elections. The biggest factor in my decision to not run was my desire to take some time to put real life ahead of the game. There will be a month long period during the next Congress in which there are a lot of things that take priority for me over Atlasia, and I feel that it would be a disservice to those who have long supported me to take office and either be on a leave of absence or barely online fighting for them during this time.

Lumine: Looking back, what are you proudest of when it comes to your time in the House? What do you think is your biggest regret?

Fhtagn: I think one of the things that makes me most proud is knowing that all the work I put in for the right as a Congresswoman wasn't for nothing, and still managed to inspire others to fill in the gap that would otherwise exist, and I look forward to seeing what that means going forward. There aren't really a whole lot of regrets that I have from this time around. While not all of my bills ended up becoming law, a lot of what I set out to do was achieved in some ways, be it actual legislation passed, or being effective opposition against a side that made clear they want to silence those who disagree with them.

Lumine: As you know, the Labor Party is soon to approach a record 50% of the voters as part of their membership. Is this good or bad for Atlasia, and if so, why?

Fhtagn: If you combine Labor and Peace (which they've made clear they are the Labor Party), they're effectively at that already. I don't really believe that's a good thing for Atlasia, as it continues to provide this false idea to leaders on the left that they have the right to silence anyone who isn't on their side. Unfortunately, the forum itself is very left wing, so it's to be expected. Hopefully as the year goes on and this being a presidential election year in real life, we can expect to see at least a little more diversity.

Lumine: To put it bluntly, the Atlasian right has not had a positive last few months. What would you say has been the biggest problem? Is there a bright future out there for the right?

Fhtagn: I think the biggest problems have been getting organized and motivating people to get involved and get active. We are at a point where most of the new talent has unfortunately entered at this time where the left has regained dominance, and it has only seemed to crush their hopes and caused them to give up early. Meanwhile, what few organizers are left are among older players, some who may be burned out, some who may he busier than they used to be, and some who may be facing those same feelings new players are. As far as looking into the future, luckily it seems that 2020 is hopefully going to turn things around for the right and make things more competitive. We had a very close Southern Governor race in January, where Labor only won by 1 vote, and this election is looking to be more competitive than expected on all sides.  Even if this doesn't end up in a victory for the right this month, it is my hope that this energizes them to keep pushing and see that things can change. And as I mentioned earlier with it being a presidential election year in real life, hopefully the forum manages to draw in some new users that could potentially become new talent in this game.

Lumine: It wouldn’t exactly be controversial to note that you haven’t had a very positive relationship with President Pericles. Do you have any thoughts on his Presidency thus far?

Fhtagn: So far, there really isn't much to say about this presidency at this time because nothing meaningful has been done. However, if this does become another Griff presidency as he's publicly claimed it will be, we can expect nothing meaningful to get done over the next 4 months.

Lumine: There has been something of a scandal lately given the change in party registration of Southern Governor West_Midlander. What do you make of this situation?

Fhtagn: West_Midlander is under no obligation to remain a member of the Labor Party or it's satellite Peace Party. Even back in 2017, West_Midlander and I have discussed issues with toxic behavior in the Labor Party, and it wouldn't surprise me if nothing has changed, and I wouldn't blame him for leaving if that was the case. I do feel bad in the sense that he could have felt some pressure over appointing me as the Southern Attorney General, as things seemed to escalate the most after that incident, but I applaud Westy for putting his values above his party. There certainly aren't enough people these days willing to do so. It truly shows that he had the best of intentions in his run for Governor. While I did not vote for him, and we certainly have quite a few differences, and have even publicly had strong disagreements, I can respect that.

Lumine: Now that you’re leaving office, do you have any plans for the future in the game?

Fhtagn: Well, unless Westy decides to fire me sometime soon, I am still the Southern Attorney General, and am in the middle of defending the South in a Supreme Court case. My main focus for now is going to be on that job, as it's something I feel I can handle given my limited availability happening soon. As far as further down the road, I can't say what my plans are for sure, but I can promise I will be back eventually.

Lumine: Former President Fhtagn, ladies and gentlemen. Hopefully we should be reporting on further results and additional interviews later on.

[Lumine]

Lumine: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Let's have a look at how the non-federal results stand first, with less than twelve hours left until voting ends:

Senate Races:

Fremont:

Scott: 100%

South:

LouisvilleThunder: 57.1%
MB: 42.9%

Lincoln:

Tack50: 57.7%
Poirot: 42.3%

Tack50: 65.4%
Poirot: 34.6%

Fremont First Minister:

Truman: 100%

Fremont House of Commons:

ASV: 56.3%
Ishan: 18.7%
Koopa: 12.5%
Meepcheese: 12.5%

Constitutional Amendment:

Fremont: YES: 67% / NO: 20% / ABS: 13%

South: YES: 55% / NO: 42% / ABS: 3%

Lincoln: YES: 56% / NO: 40% / ABS: 4%

Lumine: The Senate remains more or less static in terms of the vote, and although both Poirot and MB have made gains during the last few days both Tack and LT hold a clear advantage over their rivals. We won't be making calls in The Crusader, but the Lincoln incumbent and the Southern challenger appear favored as of this moment. The Constitutional Amendment has also pulled ahead in all regions, and it does appear unlikely that it will be defeated in any of those at all. Finally, an interesting set of results in Fremont: despite very low turnout as of now, ASV is dancing his way into triumph by garnering over 50% of the vote for the House of Commons, a most encouraging result. No credible challengers have emerged for Scott and Truman, and their election and reelection does appear to be a foregone conclusion.

[Lumine]

Lumine: Now, as to the Federal results:

Federal Turnout:
42,50% (102 voters)

Presidential Election:

Pericles: 45.1%
Koopa: 32.4%
HCP: 16.7%
Hillgoose: 5.8%

House Election:

Write-in: Cinyc: 15.7%
Razze: 14.7%
LouisvilleThunder: 13.7%
Write-in: Lumine: 11.8%
Roblox: 8.8%
Blair: 7.8%
Elcaspar: 7.8%
ReaganClinton: 6.9%
Leinad: 6.9%
Thumb: 3.9%
Young Texan: 1.0%

Lumine: Deep into the final day turnout is barely over 40%, suggesting the final turnout numbers will be rather low even accounting for a last minute voting surge. President Pericles has pulled ahead of his challengers and is now sitting at 45%, but would still be forced into a second or probably a third round before achieving a potential majority. The House itself has become a close battle between each challenger, only one or two votes separating most candidates. All in all, we expect a fascinating closeness between several House candidates right until the end.

[Lumine]

Lumine: Additionally, we have a new guest on our special! Please welcome Speaker of House Thumb:

An interview with Speaker Thumb:

Lumine: Mr. Speaker, good to have you here. As the election progresses and given what we’ve seen thus far, how do you feel about your chances?

Thumb: It doesn’t seem likely that I’ll be re-elected from the results we have so far. Turnout has been low and I don’t know how many votes are being withheld by either side so there is still a decent chance.

Lumine: And what do you make of the results in general? Have they been predictable or surprising to you?

Thumb: Pericles being re-elected and a 5-4 Labor majority was what I was expecting to happen and that seems to be what is happening, so I’m not too surprised at that. I think a lot of what happened before the campaign started was more interesting, up until a week ago, the right was very silent and there wasn’t even a Federalist candidate in the Southern Senate race. Then, there was a sudden burst in activity. There have also been some interesting crossover votes on the presidential level with many left wingers voting for Koopa and many right wingers voting for Pericles. My view of the results is somewhat mixed. I think Pericles is an experienced politician who I think can do a good as president so I’m happy that he’s been re-elected but I’m disappointed that a hardworking senator like MB could lose to someone who hopped over from Lincoln 5 minutes ago.

Lumine: Mr. Speaker, you’ve led the House for the past six weeks. How would you define the latest legislative session, and, do you have any thoughts on what the Speakership has meant to you?

Thumb: I think that decent progress has been made in the last congress. This has been a good session especially for workers’ rights including the right to unionize (including for temporary workers), a repeal of the Taft-Harley Act and a bill with strong bipartisan support which pushes for improved workers rights around the world and also helps protect Atlasian workers from unfair competition. The house has also passed bills protecting consumers from vicious abuse from cowboy parking companies and adding PREP prescriptions to Atlascare. Contribution to and quality of debate is still fairly thin, though I think it has been improving gradually. As speaker, I’ve run things efficiently from an administrative standpoint and I’ve tried my best to bump things and hopefully allow for bills to be properly discussed.

Lumine: You have championed the idea of campaign finance reform. Now, one of the arguments levied against the constitutional amendment being voted on is that it may have little practical effect. Others argue the opposite, that it may have too much of an effect. What would you say to them?

Thumb: To the point that the amendment will have little practical effect, it won’t immediately. The amendment ensures that regulation of campaign finance is constitutional, but it doesn’t in itself make any regulations. After the amendment passes we can think about what those regulations should be. I think a good next step would be to restore the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act in full, with strong limits on donations and spending. Beyond that, my preference would be a “democracy dollars” sort of system where people are given vouchers which they can use to donate to campaigns, parties, causes ect. To the point that this would go too far, I think these claims are a little alarmist, nobody has said that there should be a complete ban on money in politics. When people talk about money in politics, they are talking about thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions (and even billions) of dollars spent, not an ordinary person donating money to political causes and candidates they support – the power of the small dollar donor would actually significantly increase as their contributions won’t be drowned out by much wealthier donors. You could point to an extreme scenario where its possible that limits on donations could go too low, but there is always a risk whenever any problem is solved but that doesn’t mean you should sit idly by. Given how clearly detrimental unlimited money in politics has been, its worth passing this amendment even if there is a remote risk.

Lumine: This amendment does seem to be "struggling" in two of the three regions. Do you think it will be ratified? And if was not, what do you think that result would mean?

Thumb: I think it will be ratified because it has strong bipartisan support and I think that many people across the political spectrum understand that unlimited money in politics has had a very negative impact on political discourse and understand that when someone donates millions to political causes, it is a piece of leverage which incentivises politicians to be more interested in the interests of some people over others because politicians generally don’t bite the hand that feeds them. If the amendment is defeated, it means that unlimited money in politics will simply continue and it will continue to erode the quality of debate and efficiency of government.

Lumine: It’s been two years since you joined the game. What have you found most enjoyable about Atlasia, and what has annoyed you the most?

Thumb: I think what I’ve found most enjoyable is being able to share my perspective and bring ideas to the table. I’ve enjoyed debating and advocating for what I believe in. What has annoyed me is things that stand in the way of that, particularly the hyper personality-based politics and strong influence of discord. When people are forming alliances and political relationships based solely on friendship, I think its inherently bad for a game that is about policy and politics.

Lumine: Mr. Speaker, you have spoken about the need for a more flexible education system and for getting rid of standardized testing. Could you offer some details on what you think should be added – or could be added – to testing and to the education system? What’s missing?

Thumb: My main issue with the education system as it is, is that it often operates as an exam factory where students are taught to take tests, rather than a genuine education process to prepare young people for the real world. There are many important skills that are left out including critical thinking, creativity and vocational skills – and standardized testing doesn’t really measure these skills very well. One way we can improve education is by having a wider range of assessments that students can take, including more project-based learning either creating or researching something, work experience and practical exams. Students have a wide range of skills and I think that assessments and the education system should reflect that. Some students are good at walking into an exam and acing it in a couple of hours, some students are very good at working diligently on a project over a month or so, and other students aren’t as good at writing but are excellent at building and operating things or problem solving. I don’t think that any of these students are less intelligent than each other, but a one size fits all testing system will make a judgement there. This is to the benefit of students, who’ll have a chance to demonstrate a wider range of skills and will benefit the economy and businesses which want and need a wider range of skills.

Lumine: Gun to your head, Mr. Speaker: is Atlasia on the right or the wrong track?

Thumb: Policy wise, some good bills are being passed, so on that front I’m optimistic. In terms of the game in general, I’m not too sure. I think a lot of the issues the game has come into recently are more a reflection of the state of politics IRL than a problem that is inherent to the game. There has been a decline in debate in the last couple of years, people seem a lot less willing to actually argue their points which I think is pretty bad for the game, but this is gradually improving as I noted earlier. On balance, I’d say its on the right track.

Lumine: Thank you for this interview, Mr. Speaker.

[Lumine]

Lumine: Voting is over! Here in The Crusader we're too bad with numbers so as to accurately describe the House and Presidential results - though we can safely state President Pericles has been reelected to a full term -, so let's have a look at the other results for now:

Pericles REELECTED

Senate Races:

Fremont:

Scott: 100%

Scott ELECTED

South:

LouisvilleThunder: 54.1%
MB: 45.9%

LouisvilleThunder ELECTED

Lincoln:

Tack50: 62.5%
Poirot: 37.5%

Tack REELECTED

Tack50: 74.2%
Poirot: 25.8%

Tack REELECTED

Fremont First Minister:

Truman: 100%

Truman REELECTED

Fremont House of Commons:

ASV: 55%
Ishan: 20%
Meepcheese: 15%
Koopa: 10%

ALL FOUR ELECTED

Constitutional Amendment:

Fremont: YES: 74% / NO: 16% / ABS: 10%

South: YES: 56% / NO: 42% / ABS: 4%

Lincoln: YES: 61% / NO: 36% / ABS: 3%

AMENDMENT RATIFIED

Lumine: There you have it, folks, we're comfortable at this moment projecting the reelection of the President, a Labor Senate majority despite losing the Southern seat, the election of all Fremont candidates, and the ratification of the Constitutional Amendment.

[Lumine]

The Crusader

March 1st, 2020

In the News:

Press F to pay respects

13 Citizens fallen after General Election,
Grieving nation mourns kind and tolerant statesman Ben Kenobi

From my cold, dead hands

Assault Weapons Ban enters the Senate,
Administration in favor, but MB and LT rally the troops for gun rights

Hail to the Speaker

Thumb strikes down Puerto Gayle and Thanos Acts
Denounced for counter-revolutionary behavior before the Supreme Court

Convention Time

Federalist Party debates platform, move towards protectionsim
Labor Party faces internal election, Tack to battle PSOL for General Secretary

Tales from Atlasland:

Pentecost in Atlasia

Stunning miracle allows DFW and others to speak in a thousand different tongues
Polish found to be the preferred choice of language among would-be polyglots
Raving lunatic found screaming to the skies, calling for DFW ban

₁

Post-Election Interviews:

An interview with Council Speaker S019:

Lumine: Mr. Speaker, good to have you here.

S019: Thank you, Mr. Representative-Elect.

Lumine: We have witnessed a very contentious election, what do you make of the federal and Lincoln results?

S019: The federal election had been surprisingly close early on, but Pericles managed to pull it out and win a major victory and has a strong mandate for his agenda. To be completely honest, Senator Tack50 struggled far more than I expected, and had the right ran a better Get out The Vote operation, I could have easily seen Mr. Poirot winning the election.

Lumine: You were among those who voted against the constitutional amendment on the ballot, which appeared to struggle in the South and in Lincoln. What is your biggest objection to the amendment?

S019: The truth is that sometimes grassroots interest groups are needed to fight for the rights of everyday Atlasians. Also bills like this can be interpreted as also serving as limits on labor unions. While the massive funding by SuperPACs may be harmful in some cases, there are definitely some benefits to it.

Lumine: Mr. Speaker, you preside over a body whose full membership is comprised of Labor Party members. Why do you think this is the case, and is it a positive thing for Lincoln?

S019: The right in Lincoln has quite frankly given up. The region's former Senator, who was a major leader of the right wing machine in Lincoln, just carpetbagged south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Also, there was a clear issue I think among moderates and independents in the electorate, when the right wing decided to write-in a candidate, who had made anti-Semitic comments. The Lincoln electorate this decided that it would rather have an inactive candidate than one who was anti-Semitic. Then, the right didn't even contest the special for that seat. After the right's shocking near-upset of Senator PyroTheFox in December, I thought that the Lincoln right had resurged. I was clearly wrong. Now regarding whether or not, I think this is beneficial, I'd just like to dispel some myths first. To begin with, that the Council is currently some type of ideological echo chamber. This is blatantly false as the Council has moderates like me and self-deceived "Blue Dog Laborite" Chancellor Jimmy7812 and some more left-wing members such as Gracile and 20RP12. Also, we have had strong activity this Council and we have active, dedicated members, and we have had dissent among members on many bills. However, it provides healthy dissent, which in my opinion is better than obstructionist opposition.

Lumine: It’s been some time since the current system of government for Lincoln was installed, one which continues to spark debate and some very strong opinion on both sides. Do you think the current system works, and if not, what would you replace it with?

S019: I support the current system. It has fostered activity and even if one opposes he current system, under the old system, the entire Assembly was recalled. That has not yet happened under this system. Also the Lincoln threads are active and we have Honorable out of region guests, such as the Honorable AustralianSwingVoter of Fremont provide advice and commentary for the region. So, I like this uptick in activity and the fact that other people come to our region to comment definitely says something about our activity.

Lumine: I think it’s fair to say that during your career you have been both associated with the center-right and with the center-left, and you recently defined yourself as a moderate. How would you characterize your present ideological stance, or where would you place yourself in the political spectrum?

S019: I am a left-of center moderate. Economically I'd say I'm between a neoliberal and a social liberal, but I also have a strong Keynesian bent. Socially, I'd say I'm very liberal on culture war issues, but I have a strong authoritarian bent on issues like drugs. So, I'd call myself a centrist.

Lumine: You have made it clear you intend to run for reelection in April, which leads me to ask, what aspirations would you say you have for your future in Atlasian politics? Do you intend to be in Lincoln for a while, or, perhaps, aspire for something higher?

S019: I'm not sure if and when I would run for higher office, and right now I'm not thinking about that. I'm thinking about how to bring activity to Lincoln and keep the region working, so my declaration for re-election is primarily based on continuing that.

Lumine: One might argue some Atlasians have been rather critical of you in terms of policy or politics. Why do you think that is, and, what would you say to them?

S019: Well, some people have criticized some of my views, and I've faced a fair amount of criticism on some issues. In some cases, it's that they themselves are opposed to the policy. With regard to those people, I'm not exactly going to be representative of the ACP's values, and if they don't like that, then they should make their voices heard at the ballot box, not by derailing legislative threads. Now some people agree with me on policy but have criticized implementation or other minor details. With regards to those people, I have tried to accommodate those requests, as I see those requests as far more reasonable

Lumine: Final question, Mr. Speaker. Who did you expect to win the election, and did you expect the Amendment would be ratified?

S019: I expected Pericles to win simply due to the registration advantage. I didn't expect the Amendment to pass the South or Lincoln early on, and I was ambivalent on whether or not it would pass in Lincoln for a while.

Lumine: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

S019: Thank you, Mr. Representative-Elect.

Note from the Editor: Original questions were asked during the election. They have been slightly modified to better suit the context and S019's own responses.

_____________________________
^{1.) Original Image:
Pentecost, Juan Bautista Mayno, 1615-1620, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.}

[Lumine]

Post-Election Interviews, Part II:

An interview with PSOL:

Lumine: PSOL, good to have you on The Crusader. During the last few days we saw quite a public debate taking place regarding Governor West_Midlander, one in which you took a very active role. Any final thoughts on the matter?

PSOL: I am disappointed that West_Midlander had changed parties due to problems supposedly within Labor and Peace without talking it through. It makes him seem unreasonable and a turncoat for a reason. Even so, if he ever decides to come back before his term runs out, I have no doubt that the rift between him and the Labor/Peace coalition would mend with time. What impedes that is his unproven allegations that L/P did not respect him or his differing viewpoints, exactly how the Federalists are better remains unseen.

Lumine: Your call for action – either through a parallel government or a federal intervention – was seen as a very controversial statement, particularly in light of its implications. Do you regret making that statement?

PSOL: I made those statements with the presupposition that there would be mass outrage to demand such acts, and Labor/peace must follow the will of the people in getting what they want, how they want it. Currently, the people of the South that backed West_Midlander are outraged over the perceived theft of their vote, but prefer to vote him out next term if he stays with the Federalists. I respect that decision.

Lumine: I’d like to move into the present internal elections within the Labor Party. What motivated you to run for General Secretary?

PSOL: Labor needs to be shaken up a bit for this new decade. So far, we have an unsatisfactory backbench to take hold when the old guard retires. My goal in this position is to cultivate the next generation of Labor politicians and eventual leadership, of which I think I have the ability to do so. I also am quite cordial with many in Peace, the other perennial parties, Independent voters, and even soft Federalists from my time in regional government in Lincoln and Fremont.

Lumine: How would you define the present state of the Labor Party, and that of the re-elected administration?

PSOL: The Labor party is heading in the right direction with this election, even with a few upsets. The party was unable to amass an absolute majority in the House of Representatives, and the loss of the Southern governorship has gotten many people feeling frustrated that they participated in an enlarged Federalist primary in all but name, but the future is bright. We elected one of the most hardworking and inspirational figures in Atlasian history to be our President, and so far the Pericles Administration has gone off to a great start. The Domestic and Foreign policy councils are going through their first rounds of directives for the president to enact in his executive position. Atlasia may finally have a long-lasting relationship of cooperation with China and the unified Korean government. There is also the benefit of party unity, thanks in no small part to the Atlasian Right. The loss of the South has unified the party to a frenzy, with any such claims of a divided party cast by some on the right refuted by the energy to sweep the nation come April.

Lumine: A while ago you advocated for changes to the electoral system, including the potential for secret ballots. In a general sense, do you think Atlasia needs significant game reform? If so, what would you have in mind?

PSOL: I believe in transitioning power to the people: not to weighing power to regions, the elite, or cliques. If possible, I’d prefer if Atlasia transitions to a parliamentary system that assigns proportional representation by 5% of the vote. Going by my estimates on the previous election, a Representative for this hypothetical parliament only needs 8 votes to get into office. A 5% threshold seems fair to allow for serious candidates to get through without overflowing the parliament with perennial meme parties. It would also allow for increased cooperation and standardized political environments, but allows for fluidness as well. On holding secret ballots, in theory it should work. It would operate the same way as how other countries hold elections, making the Atlasian voter be less swayed by friendship obligations and allow freer thought. In practice on how the game operates, it is now less then ideal if the votes are counted by the wrong individuals.

Lumine: We’re starting to see a heated discussion on the issue of gun control, currently focused on the proposed Assault Weapons Ban. What do you make of this bill?

PSOL: I’m not a fan of this bill. I think it is too restrictive and unnecessary. I am for the right solutions to stopping violence with guns, and that is by ensuring societal stability. Now while the current government has promised to improve the lives of Atlasians, and the previous Griffin Administration greatly allowed for Atlasians to prosper, one cannot forget that we live in an imperfect world which requires change. I am thus for the right amount of control for the collective good, but I doubt the Assault Weapon Ban ensures that.

Lumine: Thus far you’ve served both Fremont and Lincoln as a regional officeholder, but have declined to run for federal office. Why would you say that has been the case? And do you have any intentions to run for a higher office in the future?

PSOL: Real life has gotten in my way to the game. However, I expect to run for an office sometime this spring or summer, given that I feel the mood is appropriate.

Lumine: Final question. A few months ago you spoke out against Discord drama, an issue which has seemingly dominated the game for quite a while now. Do you still feel that way about Discord? If so, do you think there is a solution to be found to address that problem?

PSOL: Discord is apart of Atlasia now, and so is its mind-numbing drama. I’ve come to terms with the present situation.

Lumine: Thank you for this interview, PSOL.

[Lumine]

Post-Election Interviews, Part III:

An interview with Weatherboy:

Lumine: Mr. President, good to have you here. What is your opinion of the present Administration? Is Atlasia on the right track?

Weatherboy: In terms of policy, yes, Atlasia is on the right track. There are some issues where I feel at odds with the current administration, but that will be the case no matter who is in the White House, to be fair. Well, unless it was me, but I have no real interest in going through that again, ha ha.

In terms of how the game is going, I don't think it is on the right track. Elections at this point are basically just a contest of whose machine works better. Votes are strategically saved until the last minute, and party loyalty is extremely prevalent. I mean, look at YE's ballot. They refused to vote for Koopa or Ishan, saying they were "defectors who risk making this game a cult". It seems crazy to me that people feel this way, and that this is the way the game's running.

Lumine: You’re currently leading the Atlasian Future Party. Where do you see the party going forward? Do you envision it as a long-term project?

Weatherboy: I've been hoping to grow the AFP into a medium sized party. Somewhere around 5 members would make me happy, even. If it's going to develop a role, it would likely be an anti-Labor left-leaning party. As in, it feels that the current status of the game is mostly both the main parties' faults, and especially Labor as of late. The political machines, shady dealings at party conventions, etc.

Of course, I still hope to get things done with the party, probably over a long term. I've become infatuated with the idea that we can extend life. I do hope that within my lifetime, these things that seem so futuristic will finally be in our grasp.

Lumine: As of now, I think you’re the only Atlasian politician who has decided to use pictures of himself as his avatar. Why have you made this decision? Do you recommend it for others?

Weatherboy: To be honest, it's because I didn't really associate with any politician. Previously it was Arik Bjorn, but he was a one-time congressional candidate. There's not exactly many pictures of him to use. So, I just started using my own pictures. And either way, I am an amateur politician now, because I'm running a write-in campaign against my Congressman, and as far as I know, I'm his only opposition.

I would recommend it, assuming that they were willing to show their face. The biggest benefit in my view is, since the pictures would be taken of themselves, by themselves, they wouldn't have to worry about copyright, which is certainly a concern of mine when making posts.

Lumine: Perhaps one of the most significant differences between players is to which degree the game should be taken seriously. This ranges, of course, from the most casual players to the most obsessive ones. Where do you place yourself in that scale?

Weatherboy: I'd say I'm mostly casual. I mainly take the game seriously due to being a Delegate now, but I still will meme around. I guess that's just part of my personality.

Lumine: And regarding that, what would your advice be to newer players regarding how to handle or enjoy the game?

Weatherboy: Go at your own pace. Don't rush yourself to the presidency like I did. I was woefully unprepared for it, and it showed. The only reason I didn't resign was because right when I was about to do it, MB told me he wanted to step down. I didn't want chaos, so I stayed.

Lumine: In a few days it will be a year since you left the Presidency. How would you describe your first post-presidential year in Atlasia?

Weatherboy: Honestly, pretty boring. Most of that year, I wasn't at all interested in Atlasia, and I nearly deregistered several times. Only recently has it been more interesting, especially with the Koopa/RC campaign.

Lumine: Thus far, what is your proudest moment in the game? And the biggest regret?

Weatherboy: I think both my proudest moment and biggest regret was running for, and becoming, President. I was the first left-leaning president in 2 years, and I ended up being probably the worst person to fill the job. I was far too ambitious. DFW actually warned Ninja about that pitfall when he ran in June of that year. I was in the same chatroom at the time. I simply failed to heed his warning.

Lumine: Having already been President, what would you say is your biggest ambition as of now?

Weatherboy: I don't think I really have any. I may run for re-election as Delegate, but I'll be starting college in a few months. I'll have even less time to do Atlasia-related things. If I win re-election, I wouldn't run again. After that, who knows? I've considered doing another semi-serious run for President against Pericles, but I think that we need someone actually serious and willing to take up that mantle.

Lumine: Thank you, Mr. President.

[Lumine]

Post-Election Interviews, Part IV:

An interview with MB:

Lumine: Senator, thanks for joining us today.

MB: Thanks for having me.

Lumine: The result of the election for Southern Senator came as a surprise to many. Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share on it?

MB: It came as a bit of a surprise to me, but I became a little less confident in the days leading forward to the election. The January elections saw that I wasn't guaranteed to hold my seat by any means, and West Midlander's defection didn't calm my nerves at all. Ultimately it came down to defections, and LouisvilleThunder was better at getting those this time. Part of the reason I won by such a big margin in October was that I got a good amount of defections from the right while DeadPrez fell asleep at the wheel. This time I had an opponent that used my same strategy, and he ended up doing a better job of it than I did.

Lumine: What would you say was your biggest accomplishment as a Senator?

MB: Now I wouldn't call this an accomplishment in the traditional sense of the word, but I got the Senate to vote for the Finalizing Freak Power Amendment which adds explosives protections to the Constitution. I didn't expect it to pass by any means, especially with a 5-1 left majority, but it did. Sadly it failed in the House, but I've gotten it through both houses of Congress at different points. If only that counted.

Lumine: Senator, you’ve been very critical of the Assault Weapons Ban proposal currently before the Senate. What is your most important objection to it?

MB: My main problem with an Assault Weapons Ban is that it takes away people's freedom to bear arms. I detailed this a little more in the Senate thread on it but it's a pretty clear violation of the Constitution by my interpretation. It's pretty arbitrary, in my opinion, to set limits on what grade of firearm a person can own.

Lumine: If you had the power to automatically set the standards of gun policy, what would be your ideal scenario in Atlasian terms?

MB: Honestly, I'm pretty satisfied with where we're at right now (on a federal level and pre-AWB). I'm not completely against a minimal level of gun control (background checks etc.) as long as it doesn't interfere with the fundamental right to bear arms. But, to clear things up, I'd like to see a constitutional amendment banning weapon bans and gun confiscation. I'd also like to see the Finalizing Freak Power Amendment ratified.

Lumine: What is your opinion of the Pericles Administration? Is Atlasia on the right track?

MB: I'll admit that I've had my differences with Pericles in the past, but he's good to work with and pushes for the same general vision for Atlasia that I have. Our key difference is our position on the AWB, of course, but I don't have to agree with someone on every issue to get along with and like them. I'm confident he'll be a good and successful president and he's already done a solid job in the few weeks he's been in office.

Lumine: You’ve chosen Hunter S. Thompson as your avatar, as well as used the Freak Power symbol before. What would you say interests you the most about him?

MB: He's the icon of American counterculture and I share his general outlook about the world. In some ways, Hunter S. Thompson was everything I wish I could be in life: liked and respected even by the most powerful people without having to suck up to everyone.

Lumine: What’s next for you in Atlasia? Do you have any plans for running for office, or for non-electoral projects?

MB: I've already declared for the Southern Chamber of Delegates race in April. It's been a while since I've been involved in regional politics, and that was back when I was in Lincoln. Regional government is less stressful than federal government, and it'll be a bit of a refreshment after spending most of a year and a half in Congress or as VP. I think I can bring some new ideas (and badly-needed activity) to the Southern government.

Lumine: You ran for President in this cycle for about a month before dropping out. Do you see yourself running again? And what would be your most urgent priority if you ever became President?

MB: I won't commit to anything but I'll probably run again sometime in the next couple cycles. This depends on the plans of the current President. Now, if I became president, I'll focus on much of the same things I've prioritized while in Congress: strengthening civil liberties as much as possible and ensuring strong protection for workers. As for most urgent priority, I can't quite say yet. It'll obviously depend on the situation at the time I run.

Lumine: MB, thank you for this interview.

[Lumine]

Post-Election Interviews, Part V:

An interview with Yankee:

Lumine: Mr. President, good to have you here today.

Yankee: I am glad to be here, Mr. President.

Lumine: Last time I interviewed you was in January 2017, right after The Crusader started publication and during your first Presidency. Three years after, do you have any thoughts on how things have developed since then?

Yankee: In terms of the game, I am deeply concerned at this point because we have seen so much activity offshored and minimized on discord and this has had the effect of draining the most inclusive forms of interaction in favor of the most exclusive interactions. This means that people are disconnected with little investment in issues or ideology and that means we are getting more and more divergent from such a basis and eventually this is going to bleed back into the same old problem with personality cults even with the "nominal" presence of two on paper ideologically based coalitions. At this point people seem to vote just based not on ideology or issues, but on their identity as left or right and that is a very shallow basis for the game on its own. This leads to record numbers of zombie voters completely disconnected from the game, with no concern for things like activity, competence or yes even ideology, the thing most would use to justify the present party system and alignment.

In terms of my partisan view, I always knew that eventually we would return back the left dominating the White House and thus my desire to milk our advantage and run of the Presidency for as long as possible, because for as long as we went with the left dominating it and trading it off as center left, for the right to have at least some sense of fulfillment after so many, many years of being cut off at lower levels, we had to make it count. The downside of this was that many got complacent and many had never known Atlasia without Federalist dominated White House, so the loses back to back over the past year were a shock to many who are not used to that and thus were not prepared for that or the long haul that it takes to recover.

Lumine: What is your view of the election results? Encouraging or discouraging for the Atlasian right?

Yankee: I am very pleased with the progress made compared to especially October, but also to December as well. There is a long way to go and it gets back to what I said above. It takes many cycles to recover from that kind of decline and collapse.

I recently had a discussion on lokcord with Windjammer and others and since I have been working on my wiki page recently, the topic of 2014 came up and it is a good comparison. For the first six months when we kept everyone generally pointing the same direction, we held parity with the left and produced some rather good results legislatively, with the first right of center governing majority ever in the game. At the end of that six months, it was gone. When the leading figures on the right work constructively together towards mutual objectives, we have a chance at victory. When those people pursue their own ends at the expense of the broader right-left parity, or just disengage completely, is typically when you see the left dominate.

Lumine: What led you to issuing the call for candidates? Was there a particular moment that either inspired the call or led you to consider it necessary?

Yankee: Yes actually. I had known for months that Fhtagn was going to retire and had been pushing LT and RC to declare and get started for their re-election bids. What I didn't realize was that ACP didn't have a candidate lined up, and might in fact sit this election out entirely with significantly reduced turnout. I also didn't know for sure that LFromNJ was retiring until early February, though I kind of expected it after his resignation as Vice Chair, I held out hope he would run again. When that didn't happen, I PMed three individuals, all former House members, two of them ACP and one Federalist who I thought would get ACP support. When I got only one response and that was maybe for a future cycle, I realized that drastic action was necessary. I created the thread and got lucky as chance landed Cinyc and you in the election.

Likewise for Senate, when LT moved South I figured he would run for Senate and many on the left probably did as well, but then he didn't declare. When Tack and MB requested the Federalist nomination, I drew on a Truman quote "If you can't fix a problem, make it bigger". I asked Scott to request the nomination for the express purposes of motivating candidates, of any kind to jump into the three Senate races bc otherwise we were going to endorse a slate of laborite Senators.He really hoped for one in Fremont but that didn't materialize. While I cannot say for sure this is what motivated LT to jump in or if he planned all along to wait to the end, he did declare and managed to pull off an upset. My focus was on house, especially once the write-ins had started, four seats was my objective. The Senate seat was my reach goal and thankfully it ended up happening.

Getting back to House, I never considered YT one of our candidates, contrary to the talking heads on lokcord and their assumptions. He had openly talked about forming another party on discord and then he had disappeared. The Laborites had just ninja voted in an inactive Fed in Lincoln for the express purposes of seizing a seat via special election. Had YT won as a registered Indy and not sworn in, Labor would 100% have gained the seat in a special. I couldn't in good conscious leave the right one drunken stupor away from another 6 seat or god forbid a 7 seat Laborite majority. Half the right might literally walk away from the game if that happened. That is why I asked everyone who would listen to not first pref YT, until the other four were safe, lest it give an opening for Sestak or someone to get "ideas" on Sunday evening, thankfully for once the right got smart and Labor didn't get to laugh all the way to the bank this time while half the right swamps the exits.

Lumine: It’s been debated at length, but I’d still like to discuss it with you. Why is Atlasia perceived to have few new and active players, and that can be changed?

Yankee: I touched on this above, the first answer is discord. We have record numbers of population but also record numbers of machine controlled puppets. This means that the barrier for entry to the House is higher and further from reach than ever before because the quota is higher. Most people that have been recruited recently have been recruited as voters only on the basis of "smash the Trumpists/Own the Libs" and that feeds the mass of zombies. People no longer read or post on the AFE board and the offshoring to Discord has not opened doors, it has restricted the game largely to those already here. You post something and it gets buried and if you tag people, they eat you alive.

Worse still the onshoring of real life political dynamics has wrecked investment in the game centric ideologicaly forces such as the Regional Rights movement, the Left-Libertarian movement on things like guns, etc, and I think that has removed a lot of fun from the game and made it just a simulation of real life, which leaves the right in a horrendously weak position, with extreme positions and ill advised comments that ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS will get leaked.

The other factor is the decline of new people joining the site period. The right has suffered droughts before as happened in 2010 where little new recruitment happened until the end of the year via Tmth and PiT, Thus Duke compensated by recruiting back older players we had lost like PiT and Vern, and later on we had the centrist DAers like Franzl and Afleitch join us. Not sure if a similar thing is possible and that doesn't do anything to correct for the existing lopsided registration edge, it just shuffles the labels of those already here.   

Lumine: Four years after ratification, how would you characterize the Post-Reset era thus far? How does it compare to the Pre-Reset times?

Yankee: I think at this point, we are now backsliding. Slowly, through natural adherence to their comfort zone, the left is passing more and more legislation federally and this is how the regions get squeezed off in importance and relevance.

I also think the effect of Discord, which cannot be reformed away easily is right now the greatest threat long term to the survival of the game, with the slow centralization mentioned above in second place and putting us on the road to at least needing another legislative reset at some point.

Lumine: Now, the Federalist Party is currently debating its platform. Any thoughts on the proposed changes?

Yankee: I had been thinking about this for a few days and decided to get it going once I ended the leadership elections. We need to debate issues in public on the AFE board and thus I am happy to see these debates take place as they increase the level of investment and engagement.

My only advice is that the Federalist Party needs to remain a big tent center-right party. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY. The numbers will never be there for a real life Republican Party or a party based on US movement conservatism to succeed. That is not to say the answer is European style conservatism, or god forbid the kind of centralist conservatism that we have seen in some places. We need to get back to a distinct Atlasian based conservatism based around small F federalism, constitutionalism, fiscal responsibility, and foreign policy restraint, with some adaptation on trade and economic populism to account for shifts in the real life right. Most of the proposals are generally in line with or at least not hostile to this combination.

Aside from that my role is to be a neutral administrator of the proess.

Lumine: I’d like to stay with the party topic. In your opinion, what would be the ideal party system for Atlasia right now?

Yankee: Party systems come about because of natural factors and generally you end up with the party system that best represents where the people are at. You cannot superimpose a party system onto a people, it forms naturally on its own if that makes sense and I think that was demonstrated by the failure of dissolution of the JCP/RPP in 2012. The right scatered, the left lost its zombies but the Liberals were a basic continuation of the JCP machine, while the right had little to no organization such to the point that the Federalist Party was formed via merger just 10 months later.

Lumine: Mr. President, is there hope for the center-right moving ahead?

Yankee: If you want to have something or keep something in this game, you have to fight for it. At the end of the day that is what it comes down to. If the center-right wants to regain its footing, it needs people who are willing to pull together and push towards the same goal.

I am at the point of not pulling punches even openly calling out the Feds for laziness, stupidity and not listening in the convention thread, which has now become a meme of sorts. If that means more people take the lesson to heart than I am all for it. I flat out told YT last November that we couldn't repeat the mistakes of the previous year because too many people got hurt or or were left high and dry when the house of cards collapsed and that is not right and it is not fair. You can interpret his subsequent registration and other actions as you will relative to that context, but I am tired of seeing people I care about lose or get hurt because of preventable issues.

If the right continues with short termism, justifying mutual inaction on the other guy's inaction, self-serving behavior, schemes that end up falling apart and costing us dearly and continuing to promote vapid non-engagment in favor of memes and personality cults, then the right is doomed long term and so is the game.

If we can work together, define an in game ideology separate and apart from real life while getting people engaged and invested in that, and understand that it takes massive long term efforts to rebuild a solid foundation, then I think we will get back to a point of being able to govern responsibly for the people.

The harder we work at it the faster it will happen, and it will happen as long as I am here. The question people need to ask themselves is how long? How long do you want to make it take? People here can come together and help me get it done by being a part of the solution. Alternatively, they can take their toys and go home and be part of the problem, then it will take longer. But it will happen, even if it takes years!

Lumine: Yankee, a pleasure to talk to you today.

[Lumine]

After all of the post-election interviews are done, can I get an interview?

Sure! I'll let you know as soon as we're done with those.

[Lumine]

Post-Election Interviews, Part VI:

An interview with Peanut:

Lumine: Mr. Vice President, good to have you here.

Peanut: And thank you for having me, Lumine. It's always been one of my small ambitions in this game to feature on The Crusader, and I'm glad to get that chance.

Lumine: How would you interpret the results of the February Election?

Peanut: Well, there's a lot to unpack about February. Firstly, and most evidently, the Atlasian people gave a resounding, record-setting mandate to the Pericles/Peanut ticket, and you can bet we're gonna make good use of it. Our majorities in Congress have remained and we have started pursuing an aggressive agenda before even swearing in! This administration will be a very productive one, and the results last month were key to starting it in earnest.

There were some sore spots for the left as well, though. Our loss of one of the best Senators our Party has had, MB, in the South is definitely the worst part of the results, and something very regrettable for Atlasia as a whole. His presence will be missed. We won't be caught sleeping at the wheel in April and beyond though: a combination of boldness stemming from our great win and caution and activity in elections will ensure continued progressive government.

Lumine: What is your view of the current party system in Atlasia? Do you think it proves helpful for the game?

Peanut: I think that competition is vital to the game, but periods in history when one party dominates (such as what we saw in 2017-2018 or the current era) are healthy as well. I fully believe both sides will find a way to grow new talent and ensure good dynamics in the near future. While the right wing has been far from electorally successful, they have proven efficient in opposing the left agenda in Congress (which has been a headache!), and they were able to cobble together an impressive slate for the February elections rather late, one filled with people whom I respect.

Overall, I believe the current system works. Competition will come eventually. Our chance for progress is now.

Lumine: Thus far you have been Vice President, Governor, Senator and other offices. Which has been your favorite one to hold, and why?

Peanut: Well, while I have found something to like in every office I've held, this isn't really a hard one. The most fun I've had in Atlasia, I've had as Governor.

The pivotal time in Lincoln's history during which I served it as Governor was an amazing period to play the game: fun electoral dynamics, an incredibly active regional legislature, and the variety of things to do gave my stint as Governor a feeling I haven't gotten elsewhere.

Immediately after Governor, though, comes my current position as Vice President. Administering Congress has been far more fun than I expected it would be, and I've found the warnings from my predecessors haven't come to fruition. I'm very happy where I am.

Lumine: Gun control is becoming a very relevant issue on account of the recent push for an Assault Weapons Ban, a bill which has drawn passionate responses from both sides. What is your personal view of it?

Peanut: I have worked with the President in maneuvering the political reality surrounding the bill, and it is rather complicated. Personally, I support the measure.

I have never been a fan of gun control I consider too stringent, as my Lincoln record suggests. However, an Assault Weapon Ban, as worded and as passed in the House and amended in the Senate, will not harm any citizen's constitutional rights. It's a sensible, common-sense measure to ensure peace and tranquility in Atlasia.

Lumine: Given the statements made against the bill by some Labor officeholders, is it fair or unfair to argue that the Labor Party is divided on the bill?

Peanut: I wouldn't use that characterization. Some members of Labor oppose the bill. Most don't. This has been evidenced in the process of Congressional debate and other public comments on the bill, as well as in several conversations with Laborites both in and outside our legislature who are looking forward to healthy debate and a passed bill. It is one of the President's main priorities and it is supported by most members.

Lumine: As of now, the Labor Party faces an internal election for its General Secretary between Tack and PSOL. What would you say was the biggest factor leading to your endorsement of Tack?

Peanut: I've known and worked with Tack for over a year, from sending PMs in our very first election to succeeding and preceding him in the Senate. I couldn't hope for a better General Secretary than Tack, and his dedication to every office he has held leaves no doubt in my mind that he will be an excellent member of Labor leadership.

Lumine: Regarding the Vice Presidency, do you think the office is in need of any reform or does it work well for the game?

Peanut: You know, you would've gotten a different answer last month. Being inside though, and having worked with Congress and with the President I feel the office works well. A little fast-paced at times, yes, but it's a very important office. I've tried to be active in helping with administration matters and balancing that with congressional duties, and it's a balance I'm still working to strike but one I'm confident in.

Personally, I'm looking forward to our new Noticeboard and updating my office thread on Friday as part of the swearing in of our new Congress and to give a good start to our term.

Lumine: Finally, some have expressed concerned over the relative lack of new players in Atlasia. Is that a serious concern in your mind? How would you address it?

Peanut: Oh, there's no denying that is a big concern. However, I have faith in our relatively new players: Roblox and Elcaspar in particular I have hopes for. That is not to mention our older new players, people like S019 and PSOL who have been active in the Party.

Growing new talent, however, is a work in progress, and this goes for both sides of the aisle: a healthy party culture and steady recruitment, as well as having motivation to keep going, are fundamental to the survival of the game.

Lumine: Thank you for this interview, Mr. Vice President.

Peanut: Once again, Lumine, thank you very much for having me. I really appreciate the interview.

[Lumine]

The Crusader

March 9th, 2020

In the News:

Public Enemy No. 1

Affirmative Action becomes subject of heated debate in regions and Congress,
Necessary compensation, or reverse discrimination?

Fear and Loathing in April

Senate races start to draw interest,
Jimmy launches bid for Lincoln, Koopa out of the Fremont race

Fremont Über Alles?

The Commonwealth debates radical measures on health care, unions
Are free speech and private sector restrictions going too far?

The Activity Dilemma

Will the Elections board ever regain its long lost activity?
Yankee launches new Atlasian Noticeboard, citizens encouraged to contribute

Tales from Atlasland:

Disturbance at Yank's

Perturbed soul jokes about beverages,
Asks for non-alcoholic versions
Is promptly dealt with by local patrons

₁

Post-Election Interviews, Part VII:

An interview with LouisvilleThunder:

Lumine: Mr. Senator-Elect, pleased to have you here. What is your view of the February election results? How positive or negative were they for the Federalist Party?

LT: I feel generally satisfied with the election results. Even though the presidential was a blowout win for Labor, we actually did deliver in downballot races. We were able to convince you and Cinyc to declare house runs at the last minute, and we held 4 seats in the end after a pretty disciplined GOTV effort in which we got key people involved who were needed to make it work. The right wing slate got to nearly 45% of the national popular vote which is the highest since the February 2019 win, so that is pretty satisfying progress and I hope to contribute my efforts to reaching 50% next election. You have to have the hunger to win if you want to bring change to the game, and I hope the momentum from this election will take us over the edge in April and then June. Also, my stunning upset victory against the Labor Chair in the Southern Senate race is also key to restoring confidence and hope in a right that has been utterly demoralized over the past several months of Labor wins. This election was pretty great for the goals we set within the Feds and it clearly shows that we are back in business ready to start winning again very soon.

Lumine: Now that you’re about to take office as a Senator for the third time, what do you look forward to the most?

LT: In my upcoming return to the Senate for my third tenure in my third seat, I feel like this is an opportunity to actually make something meaningful out of it. Of course being in the minority means I won't get everything I want. I do wish to be an advocate for what I think is right and I'll oppose what is wrong. I'll stand for defending the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness at every turn. I plan on advocating for policies that expand opportunity for Southerners and Atlasians through measures that don't expand government power in hindering people's livelihoods. Government is supposed to respect people's rights while at the same time, we shouldn't leave people dying in the streets. That's a balancing act, and we need to take a rational approach. A half-cocked banning of assault weapons isn't a good approach to solving real problems in this country. So isn't indiscriminately putting entire industries out work with no solution to the uprooting of families and livelihoods. I'll push for more decentralization of power within the economy and in people's lives as Senator which I look forward to acting on.

Lumine: You have been among those who have offered amendments to the Federalist platform. What is the biggest motivation behind these changes?

LT: I feel like that the party needs a lot more engagement and involvement. A good way to do that is by having a discussion about the platform for the first time in two and half years. Since Atlasian politics and demographics have changed a lot since then, I feel like the platform should be re-worked to better reflect what people in our party care more about today. This is my main motive for adding planks on free speech and government regulation while amending our current positions on trade and foreign policy to better reflect the ideological desires of the party. Hopefully the negotiations on the platform and the votes on it will get the attention of more people as we desperately need more board activity if we want a strong center-right that can deliver wins in elections and in government since it all comes down to having the energy and hunger to challenge the positions and power of the other side.

Lumine: What would you say is the biggest advantage and the biggest disadvantage of the Federalist Party? And how narrow or how wide should its appeal be?

LT: I believe that the biggest advantage of the Federalist Party is the way in which we take pride in how our culture embraces diversity of our ideologies and identities and find ways to combine the best that we can offer into coherent messages that advocate for a responsible center-right governance. Another key strength is the way we desire to get new members to advance rapidly within the party and work to get them to win elections wherever we have the votes. This differs from the culture of Labor where the leadership calls the shots and lower level members are expected to fall in line or face consequences (which usually involve amusingly immature public shaming attempts such as PSOL's calls for a parallel government in the South and threats to "end his career" when West_Midlander switched to my party). The Feds are more democratic in how we seek advice from all across the party. However, a main weakness and disadvantage is that most of the Atlasian right at large simply doesn't care about what goes on in the game and I often feel like a lot of the game is spoon-feeding ballots to those who are merely willing to listen to me enough to post ballots in elections. While this is good for winning elections such as my Senate race, it's unfulfilling. I want my party members to take more initiative to voice their opinions, get engaged in debate, and actually run in elections. However, I do understand that the right is in the midst of a vicious cycle where the registration numbers mean that Labor can outvote us in every region (including the South which is far from secure for now), and that it isn't great at all for newbies to put all that time and emotional investment into losing an election when it's more fun to sh!tpost on discord where there aren't lefties to attack their views and values. I feel like winning the Southern Senate race has given some people more hope in the game itself, but this recovery for the party is far from over.

As for how wide of a tent the party should have, I am a proponent of one that is wide enough to win a majority of the game and still stand for a coherent message that is to the right of the Atlasian center. I feel like the best way to achieve this is through distancing ourselves from real life politics and develop a uniquely Atlasian alternative to the "progressivism" and socialism offered by Labor which still acknowledges and aims to solve real problems that people face in the world. I feel like that this could resonate with those left behind by the inner circles of the Politburo and that much of a lot of people's loyalty to them is undeserved and unappreciated and that those who are smart, considerate, and mindful enough of our party's culture can find themselves more welcome here and can get more of what they want from the Federalist Party than from Labor. I honestly feel like that we have what it takes to develop better and more meaningful political careers than anything Labor can give them. I wish to show this with my wonderful governor, West_Midlander who will hopefully trounce any candidate Labor puts up in April if he decides to run again for reelection.

Lumine: As you know, the right is currently divided between the Federalists and the ACP. Do you feel both parties should be one, or do you think they ought to remain separate?

LT: I have cordial relations with pretty much everyone in the ACP. This is because I largely give them what they want while I still pursue what I believe is fair and right. While I have stood by the Federalist Party and am now the Vice Chair of the Feds, and I have been somewhat saddened by some Feds jumping over to the ACP last year, I know they are here to stay. If some would like to come to the Feds and prefer our style of politics better, they'll be more welcome to change their registrations themselves. Otherwise, I'll continue working with them the way I have always done. When it comes to elections, I feel like the coordination between us has been pretty solid in February as the ACP liked Cinyc and myself while they didn't screw over the Koopa/RC ticket as I'm sure Labor hoped would happen. I feel like a lot of the groundwork for this cooperation was laid in the January Southern elections where I have managed to get Muaddib, Spark, and Bagel together on Saturday evening after very tepid turnout for the first two days of the election and it looked like Labor would try and gaslight our Chamber candidates over "the party not supporting them." After arranging a proper war room we turned out most of our voters the next day and the election only ended up as a one vote win for the then-Labor and now-Federalist Governor West_Midlander  and a two vote win for a Labor majority Chamber. This performance felt satisfying enough compared to our position before the election, and it inspired my move to the South and glorious hostile takeover of the region a few weeks later after Lincoln politics felt even more hopeless and ridiculous to me than it's already been for a long while now.

Lumine: What is your view of the present and now reelected Administration?

LT: Regarding the Pericles administration, I feel like they haven't surprised anyone in their intentions and actions. We know what to expect from Pericles and his brand of progressivism, and he's taken over the party after being a pariah in the past. I stand by my vote for Koopa in the presidential election because I don't approve of the Atlasian Labor Party's vision for the game, and that a cleaning of house is necessary to deliver real change. However I do feel like Pericles is running a better administration than Griffin because he is genuinely interested in the policy side of governance and isn't solely there to "own the cons" and be a glorified bill signer who openly admits to not caring about what goes on in congress (unless the opposition wants to wield power ofc). I also find the manner in which Pericles has hijacked the primary for himself to be quite a fascinating move and that he made off like a bandit as MB is out of the Senate and isn't going to the White House as he could have.

Lumine: One of the most prominent criticisms of the center-right appears to be the relative lack of new players. Do you feel this could change? If so, how?

LT: This is definitely a real problem that my party and the game is facing. I feel like this ultimately goes down to the long term impact that Discord has had on the game as it's simply more fun to sh!tpost in an echochamber hating on Atlas than to engage with the left which is only in power due to sheer force of registration numbers. I know that Labor enjoys goading the right over discord shenanigans while they appear to have their hands clean as we've seen during the Conservacord leaks, but I know that much of the left holds even more toxic and deplorable attitudes as well, and the chickens will come to roost at som point once Labor runs dry on strong candidates and the right gets less "stoopid and lazy" and starts listening more to the point that we win again. I feel like that we have to work on getting back to what worked in the past which is keeping a clean, responsible, and welcoming message that can command mutual respect and love for the Federalist brand. Our tactics need to change and adapt to the times, but we have to be more willing to engage maturely with those we disagree but can work with constructively. I feel like that the behavior of ASV and Suburban last year really alienated a lot of people within the party to the point that they don't want to be pestered about Atlasia as it would seem to demanding and not worth to be obsessed over. We as a party also need to show that we mutually care for one another and that is necessary to rebuild a strong community environment and culture so that we can motivated each other to fight and win on issues that matter and in elections. I feel like doing this will make recruiting easier in the medium and long term. I feel more hopeful now than in the past because for the first time I feel like there's nobody with a knife to another's throat and that the few who are actively involved and interested in party affairs actually seem to like each other which hasn't been the normal state of things within the party's history.

I feel like working on building a cohesive and positive minded culture within the party is crucial to attracting recruits who will do more than just listen to that one person who recruited him to vote half of the time if at all.

Lumine: Final question. Having become a prominent member of the Atlasian right, do you ever see yourself running for President?

LT: I'll admit that there has been plenty of desire for me to run for president over the past few cycles (especially in last October and February). I turned that down because I knew it would be too much stress at a time when I need to focus on RL matters and the odds of victory seemed impossible for me for those cycles. Looking forward to June and future cycles, I'm unsure what I'll be doing, but for the moment, I'll focus on winning for the people of the South in the Senate and on restoring greatness for the Federalist Party. That may or may not result myself being on a presidential ticket as the future is unwritten, but I understand that I can make history through my actions. That in itself is what excites me most about Atlasia, and it's why I stay in this game.

Lumine: A most interesting perspective, no doubt. Thank you for this interview.

LT: Thank you very much!

_____________________________
^{1.) Original Image:
The execution of Lady Jane Grey in the Tower of London in the year 1554, Paul Delaroche, 1833, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.}

[Lumine]

Post-Election Interviews, Part VIII:

An interview with Ninja:

Lumine: Mr. GM, pleased to have you here.

Ninja: And I'm very happy to be talking with you, and I'm very glad to have you back both in government and the media.

Lumine: Let’s start with your present role. How would you rate your first few weeks as Game Moderator?

Ninja: Well, at first things seemed to be going alright until I got hit with a brick wall of real life. I was intending to keep to a schedule of stories being released at least once a week and at first managed it but I just got so bogged down. It really came out of nowhere and I had no idea I'd get so behind. But you know, things like that can happen, and they do happen to all of us sometimes. I tried to keep in touch with the government still during that time and I at least checked in, but I know stories are what people are looking for me to do. I started feeling kind of ashamed, even though it was because of school. About a year ago things seemed to be similar when I was Speaker of the House, and I really didn't want a repeat of it. So overall I'd say it wasn't great, but it won't be the norm.

Lumine: The last issue of The Citizens’ Daily introduced some new storylines and brought back unfinished ones, but it was published a month ago. When can a new issue be expected?

Ninja:  I think you'll be pleased to find that new stories have been released! I decided to prioritize the new issue over this interview. I hope that doesn't offend you, as I'm very happy to be doing this interview today, but I did feel like I needed to do my duties to Atlasia first. The last few weeks were rough, but I'm more free now and you can expect stories at least once a week from here.

Lumine: Having now had the opportunity to run the recently reformed Game Engine, what are your thoughts as to its current functioning? Is the separation of the GM from the Comptroller enough to make it more efficient?

Ninja: It's really difficult to say at this point because we still haven't filled the position of Comptroller General. That is concerning to me because at the moment, economic and budgetary needs aren't able to be filled as my role is purely in domestic and world affairs. I was somewhat concerned that it may be difficult to fill the position, but I'm still supportive of the reforms. For now I remain optimistic, as we have had people in the past who took up roles similar to the Comptroller General such as Encke and I believe someone will turn up. It appears that Spark has expressed interest in the position which is certainly good news to hear. Believe me, I would not have taken up this position under the old system. It would have been too much. We've seen how GMs have ended up recently. Truman, one of our finest, eventually succumbed to burnout and a lack of time to dedicate to the role, and I believe that Mr. Reactionary probably suffered a similar fate. Once we fill both positions, I believe it will be easier to retain people and have consistency by splitting the roles, which is of course a good thing.

Lumine: In a general sense, do you feel the GM has too many powers or too few?

Ninja:  I'm mostly satisfied with the scope of my position right now. Having fewer powers would diminish the usefulness of the position, while having more powers would mean having more responsibilities, making the job very difficult as we have seen before. Perhaps it would have been good to allow the GM to cover the roles of the CG temporarily and vice versa, but overall I like the setup.

Lumine: What are your current thoughts on the current party system and the recent Labor victory? Do you feel there is a risk of single-party domination?

Ninja: I'm sure you were surprised to hear that I joined the Labor Party, after my time in the right and center of Atlasian politics and voicing my concerns over the dominance of the party. However I've come to realise that a lot of that was anger over what happened between PUP and Labor over a year and a half ago now and not true commitment. I don't mean to say that I dislike the people I worked with such as you, I still hold high opinions of the Montfortians especially and enjoyed working with them, but I found that a lot of the people I was friendly with were in the left, and Labor consists of many of the same people as PUP. And I like several of the new additions such as Tack and Peanut as well. My role in the left is admittedly rather niche as the "leftist centrist" but I always felt most comfortable there, and I've been happy to be back on the left.

Now, it is true that there has been a lot of dominance. I believe that it isn’t the best thing for one party to always win, but also that it won’t last. We saw how two years ago the left were the ones in trouble. Much like the right, it seemed that organization was falling apart and the right won some landslides and races they logically shouldn’t have, as the left has lately. But from that period of disarray we gained so many new leaders, many more than we are currently. When the left of the past failed, a lot of young players took it upon themselves to bring back the left. I believe that someone at least from the right who is either new or uninvolved previously will rise and lead the right back to a competitive state. Atlasia has always returned to balance.

Lumine: There’s been some debate about the merits and drawbacks of “hyperpartisanship”, a concept which has brought some equally passionate criticism and support. What do you make of it?

Ninja:  I believe that this highlights that there are several different types of players in Atlasia. I presume this is in reference to voters who simply vote for their party’s candidates every time with great loyalty, especially in Labor. It would seem that some people are just happy to be a part of a team and help it. I don’t fully understand the mindset of a zombie voter or why exactly a lot of people just stick around to vote ever two months, but some people just are that way. And those people get as much out of the game as they put in, and that satisfies them. There are also active players that could be considered “hyperpartisan”, but that is arguably most of them. I would say that extremely partisan behavior is more dangerous in office than in the voting booth. Elections are of course a huge part of Atlasia culture and everybody wants to win, but after each election comes the governance phase, my personal favorite by the way, and we need to take a bit of a different mindset. Everyone in government is going to have their leanings and that’s fine, but it would not be good if every decision you made in office was based on your party affiliation. Legislators should be able to accept that sometimes a bill from their side is bad and sometimes a bill from the other is good, otherwise the government will be failing to uphold their duty to the citizens. And could you imagine how awful it would be if I was an ardently pro-Labor GM? There is a time and place to express partisanship if you fancy that, and there are times to put it aside and actually think.

Lumine: Out of the offices you’ve held in the game thus far, has there been a favorite for you? If so, why?

Ninja: I really still feel like so far I had the most fun during my initial term in the Lincoln Assembly. I wasn’t stressed by that feeling of commitment and responsibility Atlasia can give you sometimes. Yeah Discordgate happened but nobody really cared that much and it wasn’t a big issue. I was legislating a lot and was able to work with two other great assemblymen to boot in a productive session. It was fun. Now, I took on my current position because I believed I would enjoy it. Ever since I moved up after that assembly session and ran for president, cementing myself as a prominent player, I became involved in all sorts of drama and headaches for quite some time. After the failure of the Liberal Party, I took a step back and looked at what my career in Atlasia had become. I decided from that point that I was just going to have fun with it. It is a game after all. Like I said earlier I had a rough period but I believe it will get better, and maybe something will finally feel better to me than the assembly did.

Lumine: Finally, Mr. GM, what do you think is the biggest problem that the game faces? If you could, how would you fix it?

Ninja: Lately I have felt like there has been a serious lack of consequence in Atlasia. By that, I mean that things that people do can feel meaningless. Nobody ever sees the results of legislation and little comes of the actions of players. What’s the point of governance then? That is an issue I felt like I could help improve in my position by providing active stories and interactive storylines. I want the world to be more player driven, and I have the ability to do that. So you can expect more events to happen as a result of player actions in the future, which I hope will make things more interesting.

Lumine: Ninja, thank you very much for this interview.

[Lumine]

The Crusader

March 21st, 2020

In the News:

All Hands on Deck!

Coronavirus pandemic becomes political focus for the nation,
Congress and Administration adopt bold, drastic measures to deal with crisis

Yangbucks for Atlasia?

Senators debate universal basic income,
Policy championed by some as a necessity for families

We're not in Kansas anymore

The Commonwealth and the South wage rhetorical war,
Fremont Irredentism gains steam with regional legislators

Clyde nominated for CG

Labor veteran becomes first nominee for position,
Senate debates methodology and impartiality

Tales from Atlasland:

Wrath of the Chief Justice

Senator Tack denounces Supreme Court delay,
Jokingly talks impeachment
Chief Justice delivers concise response

₁

_____________________________
^{1.) Original Image: 1890's caricature of Americans kicking out the British, 1890's, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.}

[Lumine]

The Crusader

Championing biased news since 2017

Special Single Issue

Celebrating our Fourth Anniversary!

January 28th, 2021

Tales from Atlasland, I:

Zombie Fight!

Presidential candidates scramble for extra support,
Tales of sorcery and zombie hordes spread,
The dead speak! The old reappear!

₁

Tales from Atlasland, II:

Southern Reconquista

Senator LT defeats Governor Tim Turner,
Labor in shock due to losing an electoral contest,
Federalist Party stuns Atlasia by showing signs of life

₂

Tales from Atlasland, III:

The Impossible Dream

Errant knight continues anti-McDonald's crusade,
Promises to tilt at windmills until the end of times,
Regional Legislators shudder in terror

₃

_____________________________
^{1.) Original Image: We'll Give 'Em Fitz!, Clifford Berryman, 1898, US National Archives, public domain,, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.
2.) Original Image: Survival of the Fittest, Puck Magazine, 1900, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.
3.) Original Image: Don Quixote fighting windmills, G. A. Harker, 1910, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.}

[Lumine]

Got hit by inspiration on a break. Interviews will be prepared in the coming days.

The Crusader

Championing biased news since 2017

March 24th, 2021

In the News:

The Great Zombie Hunt

Debate over zombies and off site recruits heats up,
Both chambers pass harsh voting restrictions, final vote outstanding,
Opponents to the bill denounce cliques, potential voter suppression,
Will the President sign it into law?

Thermidor in Lincoln

Chancellor S019 brought down in sudden VONC,
Opposition displaces Labor with a month to go until elections,
Liberal newcomer AGA nominated Chancellor,
Wulfric overheard shouting: “I AM THE COUNCIL”

But why? Why would you do that?

Congress faces stream of absurd bills,
Olawakandi worship, annexing North America, Bir Tawil, Bigfoot,
Nyman to be declared reality-free zone

Changing of the Guard

Governor R2D2 leaves office in Lincoln,
Delivers heartfelt address decrying partisan mentality,
Leaves the game after a long record of service

Tales from Atlasland:

Thus Spoke Lakithustra

Pink Jaguar shaman launches major diatribe,
 Rages on and on about the value of political consistency,
Nyman residents report being enlightened,
"We're not sold on the Native American cosplay", tribes say

₁

_____________________________
^{1.) Original Image:
Illustration from "César Cascabel", George Roux, 1880, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.}

[Lumine]

The Crusader

Championing the truth since 2017

April 1st, 2021

In the (Alternative) News:

Very little has happened

Seriously, it's been kind of a dead week,
Still, we must publish something,
So here are some alternative news

Dissolution finally achieved

Atlasians party in the streets as the duopoly ends,
Yankee, Griffin sign historic mutual acccord,
Nation finally allowed to move on after nine years,
"Best day ever", Yankee says

Four Years of Partnership

Fhtagn and Pericles celebrate friendship anniversary,
dynamic duo remains the Republic's favorite couple,
Musical based on their story to hit Broadway

Mount Rushmore II inaugurated

Artificial mountain to celebrate a new set of Presidents,
Indian residents nowhere to be seen, assumed to be on vacation,
Olawakandi's likeness inmortalized four times in stone

Few surprises in regional elections

South becomes a People's Republic by acclamation,
Lincoln government re-elected, promises to pass a new budget in 2030,
Fremont residents tense after yet another competitive election

Tales from Atlasland:

A Deadly Ambush

Brave explorers blindsided by enemy NPC pact,
Walk directly into electoral ambush, at risk of a horrible death,
"Deploy the Cao!", one explorer says

₁

An interview with Ishan:

Lumine: Congressman, glad to have you here today.

Ishan: Thanks for having me here.

Lumine: We’re arguably still facing the aftermath of what was a rather entertaining – if controversial – election, including a rather surprising outcome in terms of who occupies the White House at the present. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Ishan: To be honest, it feels quite weird that the events that took place – happened. If you would have asked me at the start of February, I would have said that Ted Bessell would have won, and if you would have asked me after Arpaiogate, I would have said that Young Texan would have won in a landslide. The election was a surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise, with the Chief Justice having won over me, no – to fully win over me to support him. I generally approve of the President, and I would probably support him if he runs for re-election.

Lumine: You seem to have emerged as one of the two leading Liberal politicians, alongside Poirot. What would you say is the Liberal vision for Atlasia at the moment?

Ishan: The Liberal vision for Atlasia is an Atlasia which is more closer to the center and a Atlasia that is growing. I believe that a center which is willing to work with both sides, and both sides wants to negotiate and help the center is a center which is strong, and the Liberal Party works with the Right and the Left in Atlasia. 

Lumine: One of the biggest issues facing centrist parties is the inevitable dilemma of whom to collaborate with, whether the Federalists or Labor. What do you make of that situation? How do you think the Liberals have handled themselves in it?

Ishan: I think that the Liberals have collaborated with both sides, and we have not fallen in the dilemma of becoming a satellite of any of the two major parties.

You can see that just a few days ago, Councilor AGA, widely considered to be the de facto candidate of the right and center, defeated former Delegate Nyssus, with the Councilor's support mainly being from Federalists and members of the Democratic Alliance, and of course, the Liberal Party.

On the other hand, I got some Labor support when I ran for the People's House in February, and I voted for the ticket of Windjammer and J.K. Sestak in the final round, so I might be considered to be aligned with the left.

Overall, I'd say that the Liberals have collaborated with both major parties on the duopoly, and I hope that continues.

Lumine: It’s been almost three years since you joined the game, quite a respectable tenure. Do you see yourself as one of the younger, newer players, or you consider yourself to be more of a veteran player at this point?

Ishan: I see myself as a veteran because I have been in the game for nearly three years, and even if I was a zombie or a glorified zombie for most of the three years, I experienced the events of June 2019, which was the election of Adam Griffin, and I paid attention to the game for most of the three years, even if I was a zombie.

Lumine: There's a favorite question of mine I always like to ask at least once: what would you say is your proudest moment in the game? And your biggest regret?

Ishan: My proudest moment in this game was electing Windjammer to the Presidency, and my reason why is because he convinced me to support me, and helping him win felt great. Another mention was helping Jimmy tie the Lincoln Senate election in August 2020, because despite all of the odds, I defeated "the machine", and I helped re-elected someone who I'd thought as a friend, and my regrets in this game are getting into a dumb scandal because I was bored, and taking the game seriously, instead of treating it as it should be, a game.

Lumine: As a freshman representative, could you tell us about your initial experiences on the job?

Ishan: I like serving in the House, because I like having my voice represented by myself in the chamber instead of having it being represented by someone else who doesn't hold all of my views. In the House, I have reconsidered my view on unicameralism, as I support returning to unicameralism because I support more debate.
 
Lumine: You were among those who pushed for a Constitutional Convention a couple of weeks ago, a push that seems to have, at the very least, slowed down on its momentum. Do you still believe a Con Con is necessary? If so, why?

Ishan: While I still believe that a Constitutional Convention is needed, there has been more activity in the Atlas Fantasy boards, so I am fine with the status quo currently. I do believe that in the event of a few more landslide elections for Labor, that the support Constitutional Convention will pick up steam and grow.

Lumine: Finally, I have to ask you the philosophical question. Is Atlasia on the right track?

Ishan: I don't see it on the right track because of the off-site recruitment and the zombie recruitment happening near daily. With 2 out of the 3 regions being safe or near safe Labor and 1 region being safe Federalist, I see Fantasyland activity going down. Also, with Labor majorities for nearly 2 years straight, nearly everything that is considered a center left wing policy has been done.

Lumine: Thank you, congressman.

_____________________________
^{1.) Original Image:
Poster for the film "The Time Machine", Reynold Brown, 1960, Wikimedia Commons, modified for arguably unfunny Atlasia satire.}

[Lumine]

The Crusader

Championing biased news since 2017

June 22nd, 2021

Amidst the backdrop of anti Discord backlash,
we in The Crusader say this again:

₁

_____________________________
^{1.) Original Image: Uncle Sam needs YOU!, US Propaganda material, James Montgomery Flagg, 1916, Wikimedia Commons, modified for patriotic Atlasian purposes.}