June 2021 Presidential Debate

[SevenEleven]

Climate change is a pressing issue, and it is one that affects us not only at home, but through global transactions. I'm proud to have supported the RGND and I believe that it's impact will be significant, not only for climate change, but for the future of Atlasia. And on that front, we've pushed beyond the RGND itself, passing laws to reduce fossil fuel reliance. That said, Atlasia alone can not singlehandedly solve climate change and we will have to engage with friend and for alike in order to preserve the future our posterity deserves. I will make tackling climate change a priority internationally. Atlasia has often led by example and this challenge is no different. I believe in our strength, and on day one I will call upon fellow world leaders to make their own commitments likewise.

[OBD]

We now transition to game mechanics issues. We're actually going to hold the general rebuttal period until the end for the sake of keeping the debate moving.

Electioneering tactics, such as offsite recruiting and strategic registration, have been the subject of recent controversy - and while the new Constitution addresses strategic registration, legislative action against offsite recruiting has been thinner. Do you believe Atlasia has gone far enough in regulating these tactics? Will you support further regulations as President?

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

We now transition to game mechanics issues. We're actually going to hold the general rebuttal period until the end for the sake of keeping the debate moving.

Electioneering tactics, such as offsite recruiting and strategic registration, have been the subject of recent controversy - and while the new Constitution addresses strategic registration, legislative action against offsite recruiting has been thinner. Do you believe Atlasia has gone far enough in regulating these tactics? Will you support further regulations as President?

I think the new strategic registration limits placed in the new constitution are good to have since the regions and subregions aren't truly free if not protected through the use of the highest level we can use--the national constitution. As for offsite recruiting, I do not see any reason why I should stand by with the Labor machine in shaming my side for trying to win an election. The YT campaign for President in February was the best thing to happen in Atlasia in a long time, and I will never apologize for supporting it. If anything it was the natural response to a steady stream of more advanced tactics being used by Labor to maintain control of its zombie army that we felt no reason to not resort to offsite recruiting. I will absolutely not support further regulations, but I am probably fine with keeping the current law in place for the sake of stability since it is a problem for the game when there's a large amount of voters who don't pay attention to what is happening in the game. However if my side of the aisle in the game continues to be shut out of the game, I have zero qualms about being defiant against the Labor machine and its government in any ways I can think of just like Katniss Everdeen against the Capitol. Electioneering tactics have gotten way too advanced for their own good at the expense of what made Atlasia great in past years like in my early time in the game in 2017.

[SevenEleven]

It is difficult to ascertain whether enough has been done to curtail strategic registration or off-site reciting, but the fact that we have been able to make significant progress at the regional level, federal level, and more recently, through constitutional reform, is very promising.

If I may, I'd like to reference one of the questions posed by a commentator. Rep. Jimmy made the accusation that I called regions irrelevant: I am proud to represent Fremont in the Senate, and to have been duly elected by the voters who reside there. I witnessed a disgusting attack on our democracy back in August 2020 and I called it out for what it was. Having sponsored attempts to curtail strategic registration, I believe the regions can be adequately represented in our federal system.

I stood up alone and stated that the next person to move to Lincoln to strategically manipulate a popular election result would not receive my support further, and at that point we did not see voters flocking to the region as we had in the previous few days. For me, this was never a partisan issue. Indeed, I faced some backlash from my own party for my views. My friend MB was among them, who later became an advocate against strategic registration and worked with the current administration to end this blight on our democracy. And I'll give credit where it's due: LT was a necessary partner in this new system we are attempting, and I'm very hopeful that our best days are ahead, and the voters will have their own representation as opposed to rigging the numbers.

I have promised not to utilize any off-site recruiting, something I found to be very problematic during the last presidential campaign. I hope my opponents are willing to take the same stance.

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

Thank you for both your responses. Next up, a simple question: What was the rationale behind your Vice Presidential selections? Do you have confidence that they are the right candidate for the job?

[SevenEleven]

I'm extremely proud to have Blair as my partner in this pivotal election. Not only is Blair a former President who has experience at many levels of Atlasian government, he is someone who has been at the forefront of policymaking during my time here. He's a prodigious legislator and consensus builder, while being an active and respectable politician no matter his position.

As we embark on this campaign of big ideas and turn the national focus back to the details of policy, I can think of no better person to fill in should I become unavailable and or something unfortunate happen. Blair is dedicated, trustworthy, and sensible. I am proud to have him as my running mate and you will be proud to have him as your Vice President.

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

Thank you for both your responses. Next up, a simple question: What was the rationale behind your Vice Presidential selections? Do you have confidence that they are the right candidate for the job?

I ran with Ninja as his running mate in October 2020. I feel like we work well as a team and see eye to eye on a lot of the issues facing the game in Atlasia today. We also bring plenty to the table in terms of appealing to a wide swath of the Atlasian people that will hopefully be a unifying one for Atlasia when we serve in the White House together. I believe that Ninja would serve as a great Vice President and be active there as well.

[OBD]

Alright. This concludes the live phase of the debate.

The remainder of the questions will be presented - and answered - in a manner like a traditional Atlasian debate. Additionally, questioned sourced from the public will be added into the mix (some will not be added due to frivolity/redundancy). Candidates can answer at their leisure.

General Questions

- With a new Constitution under the hood, what is your vision for the future of Atlasia under your presidency? What do you hope to achieve, both in terms of policy and game improvements?

- How would you assess the tenure of GM Peanut thus far? How will you interact with game engine stories, if at all? Do you have any improvements you wish to make to the game engine?

- Activity remains one of Atlasia’s greatest issues, something that is evidenced by the Lincoln General Court’s poor attendance rate. What will you do to address this?

Personal Questions

To Sev: If elected, you will be the seventh Labor President in a row. What’s something new you have to bring to the table?

To LT: You have been one of Labor’s staunchest critics, but have largely refrained from criticizing actual Labor policy. Can you clarify your position on Labor legislative proposals like the Red-Green New Deal and the minimum wage hike? How will you govern differently from Labor, and are fears of right-wing legislation being championed by your office founded?

To Ted: Although you are usually associated with the Labor Party, you have a Federalist as your VP. What can we expect out of a split administration, especially if you had very different opinions on issues?

Crowd-Sourced Questions

To All:

- How will your administration improve Atlascare?

- What are your thoughts on the state of the game and its relationship with Discord? What future do you envision for the game in this regard and what will you do to try to achieve this?

To LT and Sev: There have been concerns regarding your demeanor and past comments expressed by your opponents. What is your answer to these concerns, and do you believe you are capable of governing effectively and uniting Atlasia?

To LT: What can you do to combat partisanship in Atlasia? If elected, how will you work with Congress?

To Sev: What are your key policy proposals? How will you differ from your predecessor?

To Ted: How will you advance the national interests of Atlasia?

[Mike Thick]

I will respond to all questions in due time. I was not expecting the live phase of this debate to last as long as it apparently has, and unfortunately had to leave to handle other responsibilities.

[GM Team Member and Deputy PPT WB]

I’m going to ask the candidates to please answer these questions if possible.