Labor Party Standing Committee (10/12-6/13)

[Velasco]

LABOR PARTY POLITBURO OFFICER ELECTIONS:

Chair:

[ x ] Adam Griffin

Vice-Chair:

[  ] Gass3268
[ x ] Snowguy716

General Secretary:

[ x ] seatown

[LastVoter]

LABOR PARTY POLITBURO OFFICER ELECTIONS:

Chair:

• Adam Griffin

Vice-Chair:

• Gass3268

[  ] Snowguy716

General Secretary:

• seatown

[Adam Griffin]

Voting is now closed (or was last night, rather ).

Chair:

Adam Griffin - 11
Write-ins - 1

Adam Griffin is elected Chair.

Vice-Chair:

Gass3268 - 8
Snowguy716 - 3
Write-ins - 1

Gass3268 is elected Vice-Chair.

General Secretary:

seatown - 11
Write-ins - 1

seatown is elected General Secretary.

[Adam Griffin]

STATE OF OUR PARTY (SOOP) ADDRESS ("IT'S MA-LAISE PARTY, AND I'LL CRY IF I WANT TO")

Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to speak with you this evening as we celebrate the beginning of yet another era for the Labor Party of Atlasia. Our recent elections have continued the democratic process of The Politburo, as former Senator Seatown and Mideast Assemblyman Gass3268 now join me on this bridge to steer this great Labor ship into the future. Nearly five months ago to the day, I became Chairman of what was once a fledgling party, competing against other established entities for the left to have a solid, consistent voice throughout Atlasia. Over this period of time, we saw the Labor Party rise from irrelevance to become the most loathed and otherwise formidable political party within Atlasian politics. Unfortunately, tides are not permanent and we now find ourselves in terms of influence where we were some months prior. I am here to report that the State of Our Party is meh.

I do not come here tonight to seem ungrateful, nor do I come seeking to minimize the great strides we have made. Our biggest goal as a Party was accomplished: we successfully elected the first Laborite and first non-Liberal President since dissolution occurred, and in fact now have had two Labor Presidents and two Labor Vice-Presidents. We have grown our caucus over the past six months by nearly 70%. We managed to weather a seemingly turbulent time that affected every other major political party, and in fact thrived during this time due to a superior organizational effort put forth by members of the Politburo and other active Laborites. It is one thing to achieve such things and more as a big-tent leftist party, but it is quite another to do so as a party that is constantly labeled "communist", "far-left" and "radical" by individuals who share the same ideological hemisphere, let alone our ideological opposition.

Still, there are failings that must be acknowledged. In August, we held 3 legislative seats. By November, we held 8 regional legislative seats. As of today, we hold a total of 6, and based on current election results in the Northeast Special Election, that number may soon become 5. In regards to the Senate, we moved from having 1 Senator, to 2 Senators, to 3 Senators, back to 2 and now back to 1.

Make no mistake: the fundamentals of the Labor Party are strong. We must, however, re-commit ourselves to the task at-hand and also realize that political climates change - we must adapt to changing circumstances as well. It is with this in mind and the past five months of being Chair that I put forth the following observations about our Party and what we can do together to strengthen it for the future.

It is no secret that the left is a more fractured ideology in general, and also that as you go farther to the left, the amount of fracturing is exponential. I have observed no less than a dozen individuals break ranks with the Party in some election or another over the past few months. Some of the reasons were clear to me, and some were not. Regardless, the purpose of being in a political party is to support said party because you support its overall vision.

There have been too many elections in which defection of Laborites has either cost us the election outright, or has resulted in the difference between a winnable result and one that was not. In December, Snowstalker only needed 3 more first round preferences to hit quota in the first round. There were 5 Laborites who voted for non-Labor Senate candidates in the first round. In both the recent at-large and regional Senate elections, there were defections as well. Even in ongoing elections, we still see defections.

This Party cannot function if 10-30% of its members go wandering off in a different direction every time a voting booth is opened. There is no amount of skill or organization that can overcome this obstacle - and believe me, I've tried. Anonymous internal polling conducted approximately two months ago showed a 96% approval rating among 22 Labor Party respondents for my tenure as Chair - with only 1 person having no opinion and 0 disapproval. It is great that you support me, but I need each of you to support the Party above all else. We are not like many other parties; our ideological concentration makes it much more difficult to harness cross-party appeal.

If you do not like a particular candidate because of personal reasons in or outside of Atlasia, get over it. If you do not find the caliber of the candidate to your liking, then consider entering the fray, doing the Labor Party a solid and running for office yourself. This Party needs both loyalty and activity to remain a strong force, and the purpose of the Party is to work through these differences among our caucus and emerge with a united front for our values and causes. In the coming weeks, I will be proposing and implementing new measures that will seek to shed light and rectify these issues. The Left always fails because it fails to remain united - let us learn from this and move forward anew.

As the Party has grown, there has been more and more with which we must keep in tune. Following the affairs of all regions while maintaining some form of communication with as many people as possible has become a bigger task as both the country and the Party grows. Yet, it does not seem that there has been a growth of individuals willing to step up to the plate and help us continue the trend.

It has been my experience over the past several months that we have too many Indians and not enough Chiefs. I have heard dissent from some who do not support a particular candidate, but have not seen the motivation within themselves to step up and likewise serve. The Labor Party caucus - not myself, nor any other one person - can dictate the slate of candidates we have. Each and every one of us are responsible for that outcome.

Likewise, I was less than impressed with the performance of some elected and appointed Party officers and the amount of work they have put into the Party. I will not be silent nor coy about these issues in my second term, and I challenge both the Politburo and our new crop of Regional Co-Ordinators to step up to the plate and provide a higher standard of work ethic for our Party over the next four months. We will also be rolling out a more streamlined organizational approach that will make working with one another much more simplified than at present.

In honor of fallen comrades-in-spirit, the next era of the Labor Party will be one of High Fashion. We may be proles, but there is no reason why we can't look Bourgeoisie. We elected a President, and so we get to wear what we want! Plus, it's hard for people to be scared of you when you are dressed to impress.

With our man Marokai in the White House, we owe it to him to be more civil, polite and all-around jolly as the new fat cats of Atlasia in an era of High Manners. We may be proles, but there is no reason we can't be polite proles. Through open dialogues with many in Atlasia, we find that a more gentile approach is the best solution for leading our glorious Party into a new age of prosperity and cooperation.


Regardless of the mixed sentiments expressed here tonight, I feel the Labor Party's best days are yet to come. We have a great coalition of members, regional diversity and a willingness to improve upon our current situation. I encourage each of you to become more involved with the Party in this new cycle, and to help us continue to expand our vision across this great country.

Thank you, Nate bless you, and may Nate bless this Republic of Atlasia.

[Adam Griffin]

I'm pleased to announce that drj101 and Jackson will be serving as the new Regional Co-Ordinators for the Pacific and Mideast!

If you are interested in serving as a Regional Co-Ordinator in the Northeast, IDS or Midwest, please let me know.

[Adam Griffin]

[Northeast Rep Snowball]

Northeast here.

[Adam Griffin]

The endorsement period for Labor Party endorsements in the ME & IDS races is now open and will last for 72 hours. Labor Party candidates are automatically endorsed; candidates from other parties must request the endorsement of the Party during this time.

[Talleyrand]

I request the endorsement of the Labor Party in the Mideast Assembly election. I've received the approval of the party in the past, and have a record of good relationships with Labor members in my region, in addition to being the next most left-wing candidate in this race, aside from Gass. I'll answer any questions you may have!

[Gass3268]

I request the endorsement of the Labor Party in the Mideast Assembly election. I've received the approval of the party in the past, and have a record of good relationships with Labor members in my region, in addition to being the next most left-wing candidate in this race, aside from Gass. I'll answer any questions you may have!

I strongly urge my fellow Laborites to vote in favor of giving Talleyrand our party's endorsement!

[Adam Griffin]

Voting on endorsements will last 48 hours. Please vote in the affirmative, negative or abstention. 60% approval is required for endorsement.

MIDEAST ASSEMBLY:

[X] Gass3268 (LAB-WI)
Talleyrand (TPP-MO)

[Gass3268]

MIDEAST ASSEMBLY:

[X] Gass3268 (LAB-WI)
[X] Talleyrand (TPP-MO)

[Northeast Rep Snowball]

MIDEAST ASSEMBLY:

[X] Gass3268 (LAB-WI)
[X] Talleyrand (TPP-MO)

[Adam Griffin]

MIDEAST ASSEMBLY:

[X] Gass3268 (LAB-WI)
[X] Talleyrand (TPP-MO)

[Adam Griffin]

Talleyrand & Gass receive the endorsement of the Labor Party (sorry about the lateness on this).

[LastVoter]

As the General Secretary of Labor, I condemn the behavior that my fellow party members exhibited in the Liberal Convention. However, I stand in solidarity with the revolutionaries, at least until we overthrow our oppressors.

[Napoleon]

I ask that members of this highly regarded party cast their vote on the Let's Really Make Things Interesting Amendment based on its merits, and not just because they were told to vote a certain way. This is a sound amendment that gained the support of every Senator, including the two Labor Senators, and has significant protections against any sort of partisan gerrymandering. If anything, Labor will have more opportunities to elect Senators, and from there have more potentially strong presidential candidates. This amendment can really benefit Atlasia and the Labor Party. Atlasia doesn't need a stealth campaign against an amendment, our people deserve an honest and open debate. Please support the amendment!

Thank you for allowing me to speak.

Senator Napoleon

P.S. I do thank Seatown for his statement, I would say the same thing if people were doing it to the Labor Party.

[Adam Griffin]

Welcome Senator,

There certainly is no "stealth campaign" going on - there is an honest discussion of what many in our party perceive to be a flawed bill in its current form. Many feel that this bill did not have the necessary amount of discussion and debate that a bill of this scope should receive. That is not to fault you nor any other Senator - it's just the way things happened. In the end, it passed and is up for ratification or rejection.

I'll be issuing a more detailed, forthcoming statement on the matter.

[Napoleon]

Welcome Senator,

There certainly is no "stealth campaign" going on - there is an honest discussion of what many in our party perceive to be a flawed bill in its current form. Many feel that this bill did not have the necessary amount of discussion and debate that a bill of this scope should receive. That is not to fault you nor any other Senator - it's just the way things happened. In the end, it passed and is up for ratification or rejection.

I'll be issuing a more detailed, forthcoming statement on the matter.

NO.

I brought this to the public as soon as I introduced the bill. I asked for a debate. I didn't even expect to get it through the Senate. If you opposed the amendment, YOU should have spoken up. None of you who have voted Nay so far actually spoke up when you were given so many opportunities. If this is the way you approach politics, I would find it difficult to support you (not directed at the entire party here, of course). When a Senator begs the public for input, and you remain silent, you should not be able to get away with a stealth campaign. You were the one who failed to give the amount of debate and discussion, if that's how you truly you feel.

Where is the honest discussion? I laid out my arguments plainly and clearly, the entire Senate including Labor Senators agreed. You remained silent. Alfred remained silent. What honest debate are you talking about? The one where you PM people to vote Nay or change their votes? Sorry, not buying it.

Tonight I introduced to the Senate a Constitutional Amendment which is bound to be controversial but that I believe is a debate worth having. I would appreciate it if we can avoid any demagogic reaction and instead come to the table to engage in a respectful and open-minded discussion. Please allow me the opportunity to inform you why I have decided to introduce an amendment that will add 5 4 new senators elected by districts.

This is an idea I have had floating around in the back of my head since I first learned of districts. In the "Let's Make the VP a Senator" debate, I mentioned that if we are going to add to the Senate, there are more interesting ways to go about it. Most of us weren't around when districts were a part of the game but I believe the concept is fascinating if used in conjunction with the current methods of election.

First things first, so I will start with the obvious. Atlasia is rapidly growing. This is a good thing. Regions are thriving, activity is improving, elections are pretty exciting and its increasingly difficult to decide who to vote for. Now I know what you will say: We're growing, but that doesn't mean we should expand the Senate. You will only take away good people from other positions. I disagree! Atlasia is growing because of the opportunities available. Regional legislatures and competition have made once dead regions like the Pacific and Midwest come full circle. As we allow more opportunities to participate in the game, we become a stronger nation and a more exciting game. The Senate is seen by many, and perhaps rightfully so, as the heart of the game. It becomes discouraging to have restrictive upward mobility in a game this competitive and demanding.

As I stated above, the Senate is often seen as the heart of the game. Pre-dissolution I often complained that my party, the JCP (and maybe the RPP but I wasn't so concerned with their party operations), was too focused on the federal government and did not place enough importance on the regions. With this amendment, Regional Executives will have a limited influence on the federal government similar to the House of Representatives. I don't foresee crazy gerrymandering but I believe that parties will be more concerned with regional executive elections if it influences the Senate. This increased competition will be good for the regions.The redistricting process will add a new, interesting and dynamic layer to Atlasian politics that will spice up the game.

With a more diverse set of viewpoints, our policy making will improve. Too often the Senate seems like it is a restrictive club that only a few people have the opportunity to reach. The Senate will be more open and more representative. Ideally, thee more Senators we havve, the more they can communicate with their constituents, building an even more informed and more involved republic.

Is more elections really a bad thing? This is an elections game, after all. As long as there are good people willing to run, we should encourage this. I believe those people are here in Atlasia, waiting in the wings, or somewhere on the forum yet to register.

Atlasia has changed dramatically over the last year, two years. We aren't the same country anymore: why keep pretending? A ten member Senate is ideal for 120 people and two parties. With nearly 200 people and four major parties, we are doing it wrong. We are not taking advantage of the opportunities that dissolution has opened up for Atlasia. We have the chance to see parties become more than just GOTV machines and groups of friends. With an expanded Senate, look to see possible coalition governments, more bipartisan proposals, and other fun stuff.

The Senate need not feel threatened by opening our legislature to more people. We could really use the help. With the increased success and prominence of committees, we can diversify and improve them by having a larger pool to choose from. We will truly get the most out of our committees when we have more Senators knowledgeable and interested in any given field. With 15 14 instead of 10, committees will thrive.

Last things last: imagine the cool new GriffGraphs!

I'm looking forward to having a nice debate on this.

Here are some reasons to vote in favor, for those interested in being open minded.

[Marokai Backbeat]

Haven't there been just, like, 3 Nays or something? I'm skeptical of there being a vast conspiracy against this Amendment from Griffin when it's pretty early.

I will admit I'm having difficulty bringing myself to vote Aye, though. I supported it at first in a sort of "Hey, if this is a change people will agree to, I guess something is better than nothing" way, but seeing the activity of the Senate constantly fall off, and the near constant replacement acts we've been having to go through for the last few weeks, I'm skeptical of expanding the size of the Senate actually doing anything to help that.

I've tried to ask myself to take the long view; but what if it doesn't work out? When if we end up with a Senate just as inactive and high-turnover as now, but then we end up with no way to actually turn back the clock. Rolling back things like this is difficult to do when you'd be asking the people we gave jobs to to eliminate their own positions. What worries me is the permanence of something that is very much a gamble. The SoIA position is a good go-to for this fear; we created it, all saying to each other "If it doesn't work out, whatever, we'll just get rid of it in a year" and that was three and ahalf years ago now.

[Napoleon]

Haven't there been just, like, 3 Nays or something? I'm skeptical of there being a vast conspiracy against this Amendment from Griffin when it's pretty early.

The PMs have been sent. Apparently, they aren't just from Griffin, you know.

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These vacancies are unordinary, and with a larger Senate a vacancy or two doesn't totally handicap the Senate business like the current vacancies are.

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Districts were eliminated before. I've no problem reducing the number of offices if that's what is best for the game. In fact, I was pushing for just that when the number of players was too small to support the positions we had (and you opposed me then, too) .
Luckily, they wouldn't be out of a job, they'd just run for reelection to an at large seat and it'd be like normal.

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The SoIA is a whole 'nother story, people don't know what to do with it/aren't willing to use it as its intended. I'm pretty sure those problems don't exist for the position of Senator.

I think its a true shame that none of you, including you Mr. President, were at all willing to come forward with these supposed "concerns" during the Senate debate, or make suggestions to help us amend it to your liking, or ask questions that you didn't feel were answered. I definitely did my part in laying out the pro-amendment arguments.

When i have opposed something, including anything of yours, I gave you the honesty of a debate, I would always say where I stood and tell you why. That I can't seem to get that out of anyone else, well, it's very insulting.

[LastVoter]

Not all of us are senators, so we aren't required to know of it's affairs. Anyway, I didn't realize that there would be public vote on the amendment until today, so I decided to send out some recommendations.

[Napoleon]

Not all of us are senators, so we aren't required to know of it's affairs. Anyway, I didn't realize that there would be public vote on the amendment until today, so I decided to send out some recommendations.

No, you aren't required to know. But as a Senator, I make an effort to reach out to the public. There was a lengthy debate in my Office before it reached the Senate floor,a gain, the responses there, too, were positive. Why should I propose anything if no one pays attention and do one is willing to actually say anything in public?
I wish you'd pay more attention to Senate affairs, Seatown. We probably wouldn't have so many misunderstandings between us.

[Marokai Backbeat]

If the Amendment passes, I want it to succeed; I wouldn't wish for it to fail after being implemented obviously. If it fails, it would be good for us to rewrite it or wait for a better time and try it again. The ideas inside are sound, but I've always thought they were flawed. It wasn't until these vacancies occurred... and then kept occurring that it hit me that this is a pretty serious idea and if it's implemented, that's it, we have 14 Senators forever and we can't seem to reliably sustain 10.

I've shared my concerns with some people after chatting with folks from the IRC a night or two ago about it (at which point, the final vote was already on, IIRC), but that's it. I'm not out there tonight PMing for this to fail. I've said my pieces, and I'm letting what happens happen, and just hoping to God/Dave that it works.

[Napoleon]

Yeah, who are these people and why are they discussing everything in the IRC where it "stays in the IRC"? Why are they so scared to actually debate something? Atlasia exists for us to debate and discuss, not to deceive and manipulate.

I spoke out against those who refused to debate the amendment I sponsored on your behalf and I am going to speak out about this too. I made every effort to get the public involved in this debate and critics were silent. This is pathetic. There is really no other word for it. I am not accusing you of anything, Mr. President but I want you to remember that despite the many disagreements we have had, we discussed them. If this is what Atlasia is reduced to- IRC chats, PMs, and zombie turn out, I want no part of this place.

There's no reason for me to be an active Senator when it clearly doesn't matter what's going in the debate.