Confirmation Hearing: Adam Griffin for GM II (Confirmed)

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

On appointing a Game Moderator:

After an exhaustive search for a good candidate to be Game Moderator, I admit I got a bit worried we wouldn't find someone for the job. I offered the job to roughly a dozen people, not including people who have asked me personally for the position, and yet, they've all turned me down. Even people who asked for it!

I discussed with Senator Nix the current situation, and he believes that, while he could serve as GM, he would rather stay in the Senate, and as someone just elected to a new term, I believe as well that he should remain in service to the citizens of the Northeast as their Senate representative. Because of the current situation, Nix has confided in my that he will be willing to give Adam Griffin a chance, and that a GM with initial potential questions on his service, but who is supremely qualified regardless, deserves this job over having none at all.

Because of the new circumstances, I have decided to renominate Adam Griffin to the position of Game Moderator. If confirmed, he'll kick ass. Thanks!

Okay guys, here we go again. 72 hours to question the nominee.

[Poirot]

Looks like some senators are flip floping.

[Franzl]

My support for the nominee has not changed.

[Maxwell]

I feel a little bit weird about renominating Adam Griffin. Nevertheless, I want the Senate to vote fully for him due to his qualifications and what would be his dedication to the job.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

I am more opposed now than I was before. This type of double jeopardy is really unfortunate, and we're about to set a dangerous precedent. I have nothing to add, because we've already been through it all.

Adam thought the last hearing was a sham? I wonder what he'd call this one.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I absolutely, positively refuse to reconsider this nominee.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Yeah, except Marokai knows the numbers will work now.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I'll make something quite clear, here. The situation is as such that the Senate either decides to confirm Adam Griffin for GM, or we will have no GM. If the latter situation is preferable to you; re-evaluate your priorities.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

This is blackmail, then.  I absolutely refuse to go along with this.  I hope the Senate will not go along with this.

[Marokai Backbeat]

This is blackmail, then.  I absolutely refuse to go along with this.  I hope the Senate will not go along with this.

This is not blackmail, it is a reality. I have asked roughly a dozen people, and they have all declined. If I wanted to make this declaration for stubbornness' sake, I would've done it after Griffin's first confirmation hearing, but I didn't, because I wanted someone else. But then there suddenly was no one else. Everyone I asked turned me down, even people who asked for the job to begin with. Everyone needs to swallow some pride here. I won't appoint a benchwarmer so certain people can feel better about themselves, Adam is the only able and willing candidate right now, and his opposition was always a minority outside of this chamber to begin with.

[Adam Griffin]

Hi everyone, I'm here.

[tmthforu94]

I'll make something quite clear, here. The situation is as such that the Senate either decides to confirm Adam Griffin for GM, or we will have no GM. If the latter situation is preferable to you; re-evaluate your priorities.

I thought there were other options?

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

My support for the nominee has not changed.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I will continue to support Adam Griffin for GM.

[Adam Griffin]

How many economic indicators do you intend to provide?

At the onset, I'll be continuing all the same metrics that have been provided by GMs in the past. This would include regional and national unemployment figures with nominal job creation figures, inflation rates, GNP, stock market performance, commodity prices and CPI. As far as future additions in terms of metrics, I am considering the usage of the "Big Mac index" (for comparison of Atlasia's cost of living to other countries in some format) and the GPI (genuine progress indicator), to help further detail in real terms the economic situation of the country.

I also have some ideas for non-economic metrics, but I'll save my brainstorming for a later question. I've found that whenever I have disseminated information relating to the game in the past, I often begin small and continue to overlap other sets of data onto it as time passes. The more comfortable I become with the task at hand, the more comfortable I will ultimately be in combining all of these elements into something that is much more digestable as a whole than it could be in small pieces. Speaking of which...

What, if anything, can you do to draw more attention to these numbers from both the public and officeholders?

The initial and primary way in which I believe this can be accomplished is through the use of maps and infographics. People love pretty things, so it seems pretty simple that by giving the public the data they need in a format they enjoy, this aspect of the problem can be rectified. At this point though, I believe the disconnect between the GM and the citizenry/officeholders is that information is not being distributed in a timely, regular fashion. More people would be interested and engaged with the metrics if they were being provided consistently and with a bit of flare.

How much independence do you plan to allow SoIA Snowguy and SoEA Polnut when it comes to developing and reporting these event-creation stories?

Both of these individuals have extensive experience with both foreign and domestic policy in some way or another, so I feel that each is well-equipped to handle their respective tasks. Still, as mentioned in the previous confirmation hearing, I intend for there to be a foundation from which future events can be based - just not in totality. In other words, there doesn't need to be a vision so concrete that game events 6 months out are already determined in regards to geopolitical or economic policy, but we should be aware of policy as it unfolds and have a semi-planned route that will deliver consequences for any particular action taken by officeholders. Other areas, such as natural disasters or other events that are not particularly tied to a policy decision can be thought out in advance.

If the team can come to a broad consensus in advance on which game events can be determined far ahead of their occurrence and what particular effects will occur when particular policy actions are taken, then I intend to give the SoIA & SoEA ample leeway in their tasks.

What will you do to build on the work of your predecessors and raise awareness of existing Atlasian history, particularly where that differs from the real world?

As time goes on, I intend to learn more and more about the nuances of our history and will be more prepared to create solutions that detail the differences. Most citizens who call Atlasia home for extended periods of time want to learn about our history and the differences between Atlasia and RL. They often try to find such information on the Wiki, but it can be difficult to get a bigger picture with vast sections either not being added yet or being obsolete.

It's such a cliche thing to say, "We're going to update the Wiki", but I think that it is the most pragmatic way in which we can clearly document our history and emphasize the differences between the two. Perhaps the addition of a page that outlines the main differences between Atlasia and RL - along with information on when and why the divergence occurred - will help give newer citizens some insight as to why and how the changes happened.

I've been quietly modernizing the IDS sections of our Wiki, with virtually all information (save users' profiles) being updated. As GM, I believe there is an unspoken mandate to do such a thing for the entire nation. Such a process will take some time, though; throwing oneself at the Wiki too hard, too fast only leads to getting burned out on the task.

What will you do to ensure that your successor, whenever he or she takes office, is prepared to take over precisely where you left off?

I think most people will tell you that I am an organized guy. You can bank on my GM thread being full of hyperlinks, documented updates as well as all the data in my possession at any given time. As a result, not only will a successor be prepared for any such change, but the country at-large would be as well. I will be encouraging both the SoIA & SoEA to take a similar approach.

Under what circumstances would you rule that a "natural disaster, scientific discovery, or foreign event" from the real world has not occurred in Atlasia?

At this point and in my opinion, only foreign events could be considered for omission by the team. If in RL the United States suddenly finds itself in a war with Venezuela, for instance, I do not believe there is sufficient correlation between such an action and the game at-large to automatically justify the translation of the event into this game. With nearly a decade of policy tangents occurring between the US & Atlasia, I feel that each foreign event should be evaluated extensively before being introduced into the game itself.

Natural disasters and scientific discoveries have a stronger correlation between US & Atlasia, but there could be instances in which an event might not manifest in Atlasia due to policy shifts (example: Hurricane X does not strike New England in November because Atlasia has been reducing its carbon footprint for several years and as such, climate change effects were not as prevalent to allow said event to occur). Still, we get into some very complicated and causal territory with situations like the one just mentioned.

[Napoleon]

What, if anything, will you bring to the position that is new and unprecedented?

[Donerail]

Will you continue to use the guidelines Hashemite put forward for what happens in Atlasia vs IRL, or will you devise a new/updated set of guidelines?

"Real-life" events which happen unchanged* in "Atlasia-World"
*Natural disasters and other events caused directly by nature
*Scientific and cultural events which happen without considerable pressure by state governments
*Economic, social, political and military events and their effects which happen in all foreign countries
*Elections and referenda in all foreign countries
*Economic crises and panics unless they cannot realistically happen n Atlasia given past Atlasian legislation or activity

"Real-life" events which do not happen in "Atlasia-world"
*Any political and military events and their effects caused directly or indirectly by the "United States" and its "government"
*Any foreign social, political and military events and their effects which happen or have happened (post-2004, creation of Atlasia) directly due to the activities of the "United States" and its "government".
*Events which cannot realistically happen in Atlasia given past Atlasian legislation or activity (eg: lifting of Cuban embargo, Colombian-Venezuelan conflict and overthrow of Chavez)

*This does not preclude the SoEA-GM from altering the effects of these events. This also does not preclude the SoEA-GM for creating, within the limits of plausibility and reality, new events of any type.

[deliriumipa]

This is blackmail, then.  I absolutely refuse to go along with this.  I hope the Senate will not go along with this.

This is not blackmail, it is a reality. I have asked roughly a dozen people, and they have all declined. If I wanted to make this declaration for stubbornness' sake, I would've done it after Griffin's first confirmation hearing, but I didn't, because I wanted someone else. But then there suddenly was no one else. Everyone I asked turned me down, even people who asked for the job to begin with. Everyone needs to swallow some pride here. I won't appoint a benchwarmer so certain people can feel better about themselves, Adam is the only able and willing candidate right now, and his opposition was always a minority outside of this chamber to begin with.

I can confirm this. I was able to do it at one point and am no longer able to.

[Adam Griffin]

What, if anything, will you bring to the position that is new and unprecedented?

Myself? As mentioned earlier, there are some new datasets that I would like to include in any updates, as well as providing more visually-appealing forms of this information to our citizens and officeholders. Outside of that, though, I think that with some of the concerns raised prior, it is best that anything potentially new or unprecedented be both carefully thought out and slowly implemented. I'm not necessarily jockeying for this position to be a revolutionary, but rather to do the already-determined roles of the position.

Will you continue to use the guidelines Hashemite put forward for what happens in Atlasia vs IRL, or will you devise a new/updated set of guidelines?

Those guidelines are basically what I was thinking in the first place when I answered one of Senator Nix's questions, so yes.

[Oakvale]

I've said everything I have to say on this nomination, and my concerns about the potential conflict of interest stand. However, it's clear that I'm not going to be able to stop this, and the nominee will be confirmed, so I will not stand in the way, though I won't be switching my vote.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Time to vote once again on Adam for GM. You all have 5 days to get it done.

[Napoleon]

Aye

[Oakvale]

Nay.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Aye

[Franzl]

AYE