The Political Tracker (June 2015 Election Special)

[Lumine]

New Theme, totally not stolen from Alfred Hitchcock

Well, good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Like General MacArthur on the Philippines, the Political Tracker is now back!

For those who remember, the original Political Tracker ran from May to August 2014 and its aim was to cover elections and politics in Atlasia, thus trying to encourage an active media. Today we have a great newspaper in the Mideast Record Courier, but I do believe having more media in Atlasia could really help the game, and I've been interested in bringing this back ever since some controversies convinced me that suspending the Tracker was the best choice then available.

To quote the original idea of the Tracker:

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This version of the Political Tracker is bound to be less objective than the first one, but I will try to remain neutral whenever possible. Most of the old rules still apply, as quoted here:

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I never revealed my sources during the past year, not even when there was a good deal of pressure to do so, so I hope Atlasians will be able to trust me on that as the sole person involved in writing this... ehh... newspaper? show? Whatever.

Finally, I'd like to explain that the past versions of the Political Tracker have been split between Season One (May-June 2014) and Season Two (July-August 2014), thus making the current one Season Three, the title to be decided after we're done with this season. Season One was focused on the June 2014 Election, and thus it will go by the title of "The Dolphin and the Boar". Season Two covered the first half of DemPGH's term, and thus it will go by the name of "Rise and Fall of the White Rose".

I have some announcements and rules to be released, so stay tuned!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

List of Articles and Seasons:

Previous Seasons:

Season One: The Dolphin and the Boar
Season Two: Rise and Fall of the White Rose

Season Three:

April 8: Changing of the Guard
April 13: It's Controversy Time!

[Lumine]

Info:

The Political Tracker will try to release publications as often as possible, but of course this is bound to my schedule and how events develop in Atlasia. Both the Federal and Regional Governments will be covered, with a focus on elections as they come by the release of analysis and profiles of the candidates.

Of course, the Political Tracker will be offering its services to those who are interested, services like sponsoring debates, holding interviews, running polls and so on. I will also do those on my own, but people are welcome to ask in case they are interested.

[Simfan34]

Hopefully you won't be browbeaten into shutting it down again as you shamefully were before!

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

It's good to see another news source in Atlasia!

[Lumine]

Hopefully you won't be browbeaten into shutting it down again as you shamefully were before!

Of course, that's a mistake I won't repeat, xD

It's good to see another news source in Atlasia!

Thanks, I hope we will see even more of these as time moves forward!

[Oakvale]

Wonderful news. I've said it a million times and I'll say it again - news sources are the most underrated but one of the most critical parts of a healthy Atlasia.

[Dr. Cynic]

Hey, alright! I used to really enjoy this paper.

[Adam Griffin]

https://youtu.be/Ik1bdoufPt0?t=2m49s

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Approved by the Game Moderator.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Wonderful news. I've said it a million times and I'll say it again - news sources are the most underrated but one of the most critical parts of a healthy Atlasia.

For the first time in two years it seems like we actually agree on something.

[Senator Cris]

Glorious news!

[Lumine]

Changing of the Guard:

Atlasians both leave and return to the political stage:

April 8th:

SWE Resigns, Lief appoints DemPGH: Following Adam Griffin's resignation to become Registrar General, the Senate has once again lost one of its members with the sudden resignation of Senator SWE, so far an unexplained resignation which might be motivated by the Senator's low activity levels and approval rating (34% according to the last Survey Atlasia poll). Senator and Labor Chairman Lief took a highly unexpected step and appointed Former President DemPGH to SWE's seat, making this DemPGH's first public role since his resignation during the crisis of October 2014. As of this article it seems the Former President will only serve for the remainder of the Senate session.

Of Resignations and Retirements: It seems Atlasia will have to face a number of losses when it comes to voters and officeholders, as several citizens have announced their retirement from their current positions or the game itself. SWE's resignation aside the past days have seen Former Presidential Candidate Winfield announcing that he would not seek reelection or any other office for the time being, Former President Tyrion/Ogis/Persepolis resigning as Archduke due to high inactivity levels, Former Senator Pingvin announcing his definitive retirement of Atlasia (and criticizing both sides of the political spectrum over their negative message) and Former Assemblyman Thomas from NJ deregistering from the game.

Is terrorism gone from the nation?: Despite the crushing defeat of the PMA at the hands of the Federal Government, the ghost of terrorism still seems to be present both home and overseas, the nation still shocked at the deadly attack against the Atlasian embassy in Baghdad and worried for the recent quarantine at the Southern Legislature. While an FBI investigation of the supposed terrorist group Extreme Reality has confirmed that such an organization doesn't exist, it remains to be seen if the wave of violence that started last October is truly over for Atlasia.

[Lumine]

April Northeast Assembly Poll:

Results:

Assemblyman Clyde1998 (Lab-MA) - (31.8%)
Lt. Governor Pikachu (TPP-NJ) - (13.6%)
Citizen Castro2020 (TPP-CT) - (13.6%)
Former Assemblyman Altsomn Stmarken (Fed-ME) - (13.6%)
Northeast Speaker DKrolga (CR-MA) - (4.5%)
Not from the Northeast - (22.7%)

Total Voters: 22 (5 not from the Northeast)
% in regards to the voters: 39.53%

[Lumine]

It's Controversy Time!

Citizens rally against Senate proposals, Mideast Governor resigns, and Dr. Cynic is back!

Note from the Editor:

The past days have seen attacks on this paper by two prominent Atlasians, similar to the attacks launched when the Political Tracker was closed. I remain convinced that the citizens of Atlasia have a right to be consulted and that there's nothing wrong with running opinion polls to see what they think, and so we will continue to work as always. Furthermore, I strongly reject any pressure forced on the Political Tracker.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

April 8th:

Governor TDAS04 resigns: Citing the need to address real life issues Mideast Governor TDAS04 resigned his office a few days ago in a surprising announcement. New Governor MadmanMotley praised his predecessor and took office as soon as possible, announcing that he was starting the process to find a new Lt. Governor. While no names have been proposed so far, it is believed that the Governor might appoint a figure from the center-left to continue the bipartisan administration of the past months.

Dr. Cynic returns to the game: After a few months out from the game following his successful tenure as Game Moderator, former President Dr. Cynic returned to Atlasia and joined the Labor Party once again, announcing a run for the Northeast Assembly after a brief period of consideration. A new poll will appear to see the impact of his entry on the race.

Controversy on Senate legislation: It seems the time for debate is back, as two proposals currently discussed by the Senate have brought an interesting amount of reaction's from the citizens. Both the Affirmative Consent in Post-Secondary Education Act and the Policing the Police Act have been criticized by Federalists, TPPers, CR's and DR's due to several concerns (included perceived unconstitutionality, regional rights and a perceived attack on the law enforcement system). Polls on the subject seem to indicate a wide rejection of the public to the current proposals, and Labor officeholders have started a counteroffensive against critics of these bills. On a side note, a debate has also started on whether citizens should be allowed to post on Senate threads, a situation that should develop in the next couple of days.

[Lumine]

Policing the Police Act Poll:

Results:

Approve - 31.4%
Disapprove - 62.9%
Undecided - 5.7%

Total Voters: 35

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Affirmative Consent in Post-Secondary Education Act Poll:

Results:

Approve - 20%
Disapprove - 80%
Undecided - 0%

Total Voters: 25

[Türkisblau]

You reversed the Approve and Disapprove numbers on the Affirmative Consent in Post-Secondary Education Act Poll.

[Lumine]

You reversed the Approve and Disapprove numbers on the Affirmative Consent in Post-Secondary Education Act Poll.

It seems I rushed too much, mistake corrected!

I want to remind our viewers that later today the Political Tracker will release an At-Large election special today, and we will do our best to provide coverage through this weekend. Hopefully we will also be able to interview candidates and prominent figures as well.

[Senator Cris]

Keep up the great work!

I'm ok with Gardner.

[Lumine]

The Fighting of Elections:

At-Large Election Special, covering all six candidates!

April 16h:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's that time of the year again. Once again the citizens of Atlasia are set to go to the polls to determine the fate of half the Senate, an exercise that is often used as a "referendum" of sorts regarding political parties or presidents. And indeed, the past two At-Large elections were to that effect: August 2014 was used as a narrative against President DemPGH based on TPP gaining a seat from Labor, and December 2014 was likewise used against President Lumine with Labor gains against the Federalists. This election might be different based on President Bore's apparent popularity and the fact that Labor will only field two candidates despite currently holding three seats, but all the same Monday will probably be a day of political discussion, analysis and probably some degree of deeply partisan comments.

The campaign has been relatively slow in memorable moments, with few polls and no debate, but most of the candidates have been quite active in the campaign trial, two of them dropping out before the actual election (current Game Moderator Kalwejt from TPP and now Mideast Governor Madman Motley from the DR's).

With that said, let's take a look at the candidates:

Senator Blair (Labor Party): Hailed as a rising start by many elements of the Labor Party, Blair entered politics shortly ago, briefly serving as a Northeast Assemblyman and Speaker before being selected to replace Registrar General Griffin as an At-Large Senator. Apparently media savvy and issue-focused, he has run on support for Kurdistan, massive decentralization in Iraq, anti HIV/AIDs programs, the environment and law enforcement reform. Endorsed by the Mideast Record Courier, polls show him with similar levels of support than Lief, and should Labor turnout hold his chances are strong.

Senator and Former President Polnut (The People's Party): A two-term President who served in non-consecutive terms as a member of the JCP and the Liberals, he has been a consistently strong voice within TPP with a large public role over the past months. Hailed for some as a “voice of reason” in the Senate, Polnut has served since August 2014 winning reelection in December, and to the shock of many he announced that this would be his final campaign for At-Large Senate. Articulate, pragmatic and opinionated, he has run on law-enforcement reform, education and the environment, and if the TPP base stands firm behind him then he should probably sail to a final term without many problems. The Senator has been endorsed by the Mideast-Record Courier.

Former Senator Yankee (Federalist Party): The longest serving Senator in the history of Atlasia and current Federalist Chair, Yankee lost in a dramatic match with HagridOfTheDeep in the February 2015 South election, leading to rumors that it might the end of his long career. Yankee has disproved said rumors by running on the At-Large election as the sole Federalist candidate, and the once known as “Senator Reclutant Nay” has been much more spoken as of lately, often clashing with Registrar General Griffin and Senator Lief. Running on regional rights, legislative reform and against nationalization, Yankee has a good chance to return to Nyman if conservatives turn out to the polls.

Senator Cris (Civic Renewal): The current Party Secretary of Civic Renewal, Cris started as a detailed pollster and then served as Midwest Representative and Archduke, and as President Lumine’s White House Chief of Staff before being elected in his third Senate run in December, having lost before to TNF and Bacon King in two close elections. Pragmatic and active, he left the Federalist Party on February 2015, and announced his reelection campaign with a focus on activity, transparency, common-sense and electoral reform.  While Cris is at a disadvantage when compared to the potential turnout of Labor and the Federalists, he has put focus on building a potential coalition to secure his victory, making turnout once again the key to Nyman.

Senator Lief (Labor Party): A two-term Former President and current Labor Chair, Lief originally ran for Northeast Senate with the Vermont National Party on a strong anti-incest campaign, losing to Bore. After winning in the December At-Large election Senator Lief was a very harsh critic of the Lumine administration (denouncing it as the Lumine regime), eventually becoming Labor Chair. Controversial, outspoken and often denouncing people or institutions, he has run on a platform of pragmatism and a fight against special interests, and he has been one of the strongest defenders of the original Policing the Police Act. Once again, if Labor turnout holds then Lief will almost certainly win reelection.

Former Representative Poirot (Independent): Breaking JCL’s record of elections, Poirot has always been a consistent independent, often involved in a quest to win a seat in Nyman in the Northeast Senate, At-Large Senate elections and even the Presidency, his strongest performances being on the Presidential at October 2014 and the most recent special At-Large Senate race. Colorful and unorthodox, Poirot has run the most active campaign, holding events abroad (in places like London and Paris) and running on government reform and his proposal for the Olympic styled “Atlasia Games.” Unlikely to win, he was arrested a few days ago on the executive order of Governor Simfan, leading many to shout: “Free Poirot!”

[Lumine]

Well, that look a long time to write... I asked some of the candidates for potential politicians to represent them, so we will include said pictures during the interviews I plan to take during the weekend (or add them to the current profiles).

Anyway, our first interview will be with sitting Senator Blair, so stay tuned! (And yes, we will also cover the Northeast and South elections as well)

Keep up the great work!

I'm ok with Gardner.

Thanks, Cris!

[Lumine]

Election Night Special:

Lumine: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is former President Lumine, bringing you The Political Tracker's Election Night Special. From today until the weekend we shall do our best to bring you updated results, commentary and interviews as we move forward. As of now we will see four different elections: the At-Large Senate race, the South Gubernatorial election, the Northeast Assembly election and the public vote on the Fairness in Cabinet Obligations amendment, four elections that might bring out quite a few surprises. Polls will be opened in less than two hours, so let's get started!

[Lumine]

Lumine: Our first interview was going to be with Senator Blair, but due to a slight delay we will start with an intervew to Northeast Speaker Dkrol. As you know, he is running for reelection tonight, having just ended his campaign at the Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.

An interview with NE Speaker Dkrol:

Northeast Speaker Dkrol (CR-MA), running for reelection tonight:

Lumine: Speaker Dkrol, great to have you here. Do you feel anxious for tonight's election?

Dkrol: Thank you for having me. I'm not as anxious now as I was about the March Special Election I ran in, as there were quite a few curve balls in that race. I'm cautiously optimistic about my chances at winning a mandate from the people and a full term in the Assembly.

Lumine: It seems polling has not been particularly reliable for this race, as the first poll had Altsomn Stmarken and you behind and yet the second one indicates a surge in support. What do you make of this?

Dkrol: I think it just shows the unpredictability of Atlasian politics. I hadn't really made my case to the electorate when the first poll was run, but the race also had a separate dynamic. There were only 5 candidates running then, for 5 seats. I think some people didn't feel the need to make a firm vote, to pick who they'd really support, since we were all assured a victory. The second poll included 6 candidates, forcing voters to really think about who they were going to support.

Lumine: Despite an earlier controversy regarding the Special At-Large election, it seems you have a good relationship with current Governor Sawx. How would you describe said relationship?

Dkrol: Governor Sawx and I have a strong relationship. We are both friends and co-workers in the pursuit of a better region. He and I had only a small dispute over the March Senate election - he told me only a few hours after the fight broke out that he still respected me, and I still respected him. The extend of the spat was spun far out of proportion.

Lumine: It seems the Fairness in Cabinet Obligations Amendment has passed the Senate and we will be voting on it as well. How do you plan to vote on this issue?

Dkrol: I plan to vote against it, at least at this moment. I feel that, by creating yet another position for Senators to hold, it concentrates power within a small group in Nyman. I've always supported the Regions and feel that more power should be vested in them, and I think that the amendment would serve to counter that goal.

Lumine: I would like to finish this interview by asking you about the new Northeast Budget, which was passed a few minutes ago by the Northeast Assembly. What is your take on the new budget?

Dkrol: The new budget, the brainchild of Governor Sawx, is a strong budget. It creates a relatively large surplus and prepares our region for a successful fiscal period.

Lumine: Well, I suppose that is all for the night. Is there anything you'd like to say to the viewers to end this interview?

Dkrol: I'd like to thank Governor Sawx for helping me get where I am and for supporting me, and I'd like to thank my fellow Representatives for allow me to serve as Speaker of the Assembly. I'd also like to thank the people of Atlasia for tuning in tonight, and over the course of the whole campaign, and listening to my pitch. Lumine, I hope the next time we talk I'll have an electoral mandate behind me.

Lumine: Best of luck to you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks for being here.

[Lumine]

The Polls are Open!

Lumine: And the election truly begins! Both the South Gubernatorial booth and the April At-Large booth are open, so it's time for Atlasia to vote. The Political Tracker will cease it's coverage until tomorrow morning since the former President is dying to get some sleep, but we will be back tomorrow!

[Adam Griffin]

The Polls are Open!

No they're not

[Lumine]

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

April At-Large Election:

Turnout: 17,77% (32 voters - Last Voter: angus)

Polnut (The People's Party): 40,62% (13)
North Carolina Yankee (Federalist): 18,75% (6)
Cris (Civic Renewal): 12,50% (4)
Lief (Labor) 12,50% (4)
Write-in: Spiral (Democratic Republican): 6,25% (2)
Blair (Labor) 3.12% (1)
Poirot (Independent) 3.12% (1)
Write-in: Dr. Cynic (Labor): 3,12% (1)

Lumine: Turnout is still below 20%, but we do have a couple of interesting trends to note, the most obvious one being Senator Polnut propelled into a commanding lead by outnumbering his rivals, having broad support across the political spectrum. The second will probably change as we go, but there seems to be an interest in write-in candidates, at least judging from the votes for Dr. Cynic and Spiral (the latter of whom surpassing both Blair and Poirot). It’s impossible to know whether that will become something serious, but it is an interesting situation.