Atlas Forum Primaries 2016, Part 2

[America Needs R'hllor]

Is that a good way to endorse?

[Miles]

Name: Bobby Jones
Age: 65
Party: Democratic
Location: McDowell County, WV
Position: WV State Senator (1992-2010) WV senator (2010-)*After Senator's Byrds death.
Political Matrix: E: -4.84, S: +0.43

Bobby Joness was born into a poor white trash community in McDowell county, his father and forefathers miners who laborerd in the mines, while recieveing nothing from coal companies for their hard work, all help his father received was from the union, his father would say.

Bobby Jones started as a miner, and a union stewared and labourer advocate, for better pay, good wages, and a stand against the coal companies. He got involved in politics to stop the bleeding of his county, and his state, and has promoted infrastructure, and the building of manufacturing in struggling areas of his state, to help his state.

He has broken with the orthodoxy of the Democratic Party, calling it a neo-liberal party, and is against the coastal elitism of the party, is an advocate of gun rights, and has stated that he will vote against very free trade deal in congress, and rip out every free trade deal, he opposes further illegal immigration to the contury, and has stated that he is primarly focused on politics for the working class, and a patriotic union man, opposing RTW, and advocates the repeal of Taft-Hartley and all other anti-union laws.

He is more moderate on cultural issues of the day, and focuses on helping the poor, calling for everyone to be guaranteed a job, and have the government create much needed welfare state for the poor, and job investment for the working class, he opposes racial politics, and opposes affirtive action, saying you're if you're white or black, and has stated feminism is good and well, by doesn't help jack shyte if the woman was born into poverty.

Endorsed!

[Mr. Smith]

If it wasn't allowed before, then I am sorry.

I repeat then

My endorsement goes to Jefferson Galloway

I see little but bickering going on, but the next President needs to rise above such things and seek out solutions that help out everyday, paycheck-to-paycheck working person. Only Governor Galloway has consistently done such things. Also, it should be noted that in our bogged down, uh, swamp called Washington, Galloway would be a fresh face to change things from the outside. Did he not change the path 'ol Jackson was going when he became Governor? Does he not have a standing record for civil rights?

There couldn't be a better new face to sit in that one  white buildin' on Pennsylvania Ave, but Galloway!

[Leinad]

[reserved for an R candidate in the opposite political quadrant as myself that I will write tomorrow--PM me if I don't]

Name: Father James N. Wilkinson
Age: 87
Party: Republican
Location: Providence, RI (Montgomery, AL)
Position: US Representative from AL-4 (1965-1968)
Political Matrix: E: -5.62, S: +8.76         

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So, yes, very different from me.

I originally included snippets of an interview where Father Wilkinson defended his Catholic-ness from others (read: the sane ones ) who criticized him, reconciled his dislike of socialism with his dislike of the free market, and explained why he refused to run as a Democrat.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I'll have my bio/info up in a bit. Running as a Republican.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Outside interjection: Catholic priests are formally barred from seeking public office by the Vatican. See this guy, for example.

[Wells]

The first turn will officially start one this series of posts is done. First, the complete rules:

So we’ve made it to the first turn. Turns will last 72 hours (way longer than they should). Now what? Well, each turn, your points, poll numbers, and delegate standings will be turned into tokens (you won’t lose delegates, points, or your standing in the polls that way). And this is where things get fun. You can use your tokens to do pretty much whatever you want. Here is one example:

What turns look like

June 1789 Turn

Fundraising - 5 Tokens
Campaign Stops in Paris - 1 Token
Speech Excerpt: “Down with the monarchy! Liberty, equality, fraternity!”
Airing This Advertisement Nationwide - 3 Tokens
“Marie Antoinette would like you to believe that she cares about you while constructing cities where she can appropriate peasants and get three meals every day. But does she really understand the peasant’s struggle? Just last week she said ‘Let them eat cake’ when faced with the struggle of the people. Will you stand for this or stand for change?”
Appearing on The Late Show - 1 Token
Insert Interview excerpt here
Something Creative - 5 Tokens
Campaign Stops in Nice - 1 Token
Angry Tweets - 1 Token
“@RandomPolitician said this thing! Not good! Very wrong! Sad!”

Total Spent - 22 Tokens
Current Balance - 8 Tokens

As you can see, you can save tokens for later and fundraise (which will get you more tokens). A few rules before some people go crazy. DISCLAIMER: I and only I have the power to waive, enforce, and create new rules.

Token prices - I will set most token prices in this post. If you come up with something new, PM me first and I will tell you the token price and add it to the rules.

Fundraising - You want more tokens? Then fundraising will give you more for your next turn, but don’t get greedy. The more tokens you spend on fundraising, the likelier it is that it will flop (i.e. you get nothing). If you spend all your coins fundraising, then it’s guaranteed.

Creativity - Creativity is nice, but keep it within reason. Nothing too ridiculous.

News stories - At the beginning of every turn, there will be a news dump in which a certain amount of stories, be it global news, local news, economic news, candidate scandals, etc, will be released and you can react to them in your turn (if it’s a press release 0 tokens and if it’s a speech 1 token). Most news stories will be based on what really happened in 2015/2016, but candidate scandals will be chosen randomly (for the most part, see Corruption) and can strike at any time. If you do get a scandal (I will detail what it is), then you have to respond in the next turn (and spend tokens on it) or else I will force you out of the race. Positive stories will also occur. A response is optional.

Debates - Debates will be at the end of most turns (unless I say otherwise) and will ask questions (an amount I choose) about random issues and news events. You must answer all the questions and you may directly respond to one answer that one of your opponents from the same party made (you may reference other statements in your debate answers). You can spend tokens on debate prep, and at the end of the debate I will decide who the winner and loser is. The winner gets a temporary boost and the loser gets a temporary dip in the polls. Debates will last 24 hours.

Missing a turn - If you miss a turn, then you will have to work harder to make it up. Though you won’t be over with yet.

Joining late - In this universe we pretend ballot deadlines don’t exist. However, you will suffer extreme penalties if you join the primaries after Iowa, or the GE after the first debate. And smaller ones if you join before then.

Things you can do

Tweets - These cost one token each.

PMing me - if you have any business you want to accomplish, then send it to me in one PM. I don’t want my inbox to become too full.

Super PACs - You may have Super PACs (though other candidates’ attacks may turn this into a liability). There are a few rules for Super PACs that must be followed: they have to be run by another player and other posters must fund them. Every poster has 100 tokens that they may donate to any Super PAC (or other political groups) that the PAC may spend on anything.

Endorsements - Atlas posters can and should endorse, but RL politicians and groups can also endorse. If you want endorsements then PM me and I’ll give them to you as long as no one else has asked for it and I think it’s 100% realistic.

Corruption - PM me if you want to engage in voter fraud, voter intimidation, bribing of DNC/RNC officials, or other things that conservatives think Hillary Clinton does daily. Just realize that there is an increased risk that you will appear in the news dump as the candidate with the latest scandal.

State Visits - You may visit any state you wish, but different states cost different amounts of tokens.


1
   Alaska; Delaware; District of Columbia; Hawaii; Idaho; Maine; Montana; New Hampshire; North Dakota; Rhode Island; South Dakota; Vermont; Wyoming

2
   Arkansas; Kansas; Mississippi; Nebraska; Nevada; New Mexico; Utah; West Virginia

3
   Connecticut; Iowa; Kentucky; Oklahoma; Oregon; South Carolina

4
   Alabama; Arizona; Colorado; Louisiana; Maryland; Minnesota; Wisconsin

5
   Indiana; Massachusetts; Missouri; Tennessee; Washington

6
   Georgia; Michigan; New Jersey; North Carolina; Virginia

7
   Florida; Illinois; Ohio; Pennsylvania

8
   New York

9
   Texas

10
   California

As you can see the early states cost three (Iowa and South Carolina), one (New Hampshire), or two (Nevada) tokens.

Advertisements - Both positive and negative ads will be accepted. They have differing effects. Positive ads cost 2 tokens each, negative ads cost 3 tokens each.

Barnstorming costs 10 tokens but improves your poll numbers by quite a bit. Doing internal polls costs 1 token and must be requested of me or your Super PAC via PM. You may chose to leak the internal poll in the post for your turn.

[Wells]

Now it's time to allocate tokens. Tokens will be allocated based on poll numbers and endorsement points. You get more tokens every turn.

Samuel O'Houlihan - 40 tokens
Abraham Washington - 30 tokens
Ethan Berkowitz - 40 tokens
Daniel Conway - 50 tokens
James Wilkinson - 20 tokens
Laura Rummel - 30 tokens

Lisa Rockowitz - 20 tokens
Emily Peebleton - 30 tokens
Jefferson Galloway - 130 tokens
James Gillot - 20 tokens
Tsumiki Harmon - 30 tokens
Brandon Korner - 40 tokens
Susan Park - 30 tokens
Bobby Jones - 70 tokens

You can see that posters with more endorsement points have much more tokens than those who don't. So get endorsements. In my next post I'll do the news dump and poll numbers and the turn will officially start.

[Wells]

These are real life events that you can look up if you want to learn more about them:

Terrorist attacks in Paris, France kill 130 people. ISIS claims responsibility.
Turkey shoots down a Russian fighter jet. This is the first time since the 1950s that a NATO member destroyed a Russian aircraft.
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference is held in Paris.

And for more in-depth candidate news stories:

Wilkinson's Candidacy Against Catholic Doctrine?

The Father James Wilkinson has announced a run for president after shooting to fame off of his conservative political messages, even going so far as to promote a fringe conspiracy theory that President Dave Leip is secretly a Muslim.

However, as a Catholic priest, he is barred from running for office. A recent poll by YouGov asked five hundred Republicans whether they thought Wilkinson should be allowed to run. 50% said yes, 38% said no, and 12% didn't care or were undecided.

Reports Show One More Candidate May Join The Race

Sources say that there is another candidate on the Republican side eyeing a run. Once they join, they will be able to participate from the second turn onwards.


And for the latest polls:

Iowa Democratic Caucus
Brandon Korner 19%
Jefferson Galloway 13%
Susan Park 12%
Bobby Jones 11%
Emily Peebleton 10%
James Gillot 10%
Tsumiki Harmon 8%
Lisa Rockowitz 3%

Iowa Republican Caucus
Daniel Conway 22%
Laura Rummel 16%
Ethan Berkowitz 15%
Samuel O'Houlihan 13%
Abraham Washington 8%
James Wilkinson 7%

New Hampshire Democratic Primary
Susan Park 17%
Brandon Korner 14%
James Gillot 13%
Jefferson Galloway 12%
Bobby Jones 12%
Emily Peebleton 10%
Lisa Rockowitz 8%
Tsumiki Harmon 4%

New Hampshire Republican Primary
Ethan Berkowitz 22%
Daniel Conway 16%
Samuel O'Houlihan 14%
Laura Rummel 14%
Abraham Washington 13%
James Wilkinson 12%


This turn will last exactly 72 hours starting now.  At the end there will be a Republican debate.

[LLR]

Well... This is bad. I'm dropping out and endorsing Ms. Peebleton

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Well... This is bad. I'm dropping out and endorsing Ms. Peebleton

RockIP

[Beet]

I endorse Bobby Jones, the good 'ol union man.

[GoTfan]

Madison, Wisconsin

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[Enduro]

I'm going to endorse O'Houlihan

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Name: Harry Auldman

Age: 66

Location: Tallahassee, Florida

Experience: Degree in history from Florida State University (1973), Leon County School District (1974-1979), Field Director for Paula Hawkins 1980 Senate campaign, Chief of Staff to Senator Paula Hawkins (1981-1984), Congressman from Florida's 2nd Congressional District (1985-1995), failed GOP candidate for Governor in 1994 Republican primary. Senator from Florida (2001-present).

Ideology: E: +5.29, S: +4.7 (AKA, garden variety Southern movement conservative)

Bio: Born in the town of "Jackass Junction" before it ceased being both Jackass Junction and a town (it is now a dusty tourist trap with a pitter-patter of gas stations, an abandoned Disney ticket sales office, and a few run-down motels) to Jackson (1907-1976) and Pearl Auldman (1914-2001), Harry Auldman was the seventh and final child. Growing up working in the fields of his families farm, the average day for the Auldman children would begin before dawn when another local farmer would pick them up to drive them to school in nearby Vero Beach on his daily morning run, returning to collect them after his afternoon pickup shortly before sundown. Auldman's Pentecostal family and poor background would ultimately shape his standard Reaganist political beliefs and his extremely socially conservative views that would define his career in later life.

Working through High School at an airplane manufacturing plant in Vero Beach, Auldman barely scraped enough money together to attend college at Florida State, where he worked the occasional odd job, smoked a lot of grass (despite his repeated denials on the campaign trail), and cavorted with the other flower-power types. Receiving student deferment and deferment, Auldman managed to escape being sent to Vietnam and graduated in 1973 with a degree in History. He worked as a High School history teacher at Leon High for six years, and married Katrina "Kat" Custer (b. 1953) in 1976, a marriage that would produce three daughters, Caroline (b. 1977), Louise "Lulu" (b. 1979), and Elizabeth "Lizbet" (b. 1992).

His first involvement in politics came when he was offered a job through a friend who had worked under Paula Hawkins when she was on the Public Service Commission; despite a lack of political experience, Auldman proved himself to be an effective organizer and went on to serve as her Chief of Staff during her term in the Senate until 1984, when he was drafted by Republican leaders to run as a sacrificial lamb against Congressman Don Fuqua. In a stunning upset, the Auldman managed to eek out the narrowest of wins, and continued to win reelection until 1994, when he made a failed bid for Governor. Despite popularity among conservatives, Jeb Bush bested Auldman, ending his political career for a period of six years.

Auldman returned to win a narrow Senate race against Bill Nelson in 2000, and was returned to office in 2006 and 2012 by increased margins. While opponents attempted to portray him as he was-as too conservative for a swing state-Auldman's seniority in the Senate, his relative strength with the establishment, and a succession of weak challengers ensured his political survival. Auldman now seeks the Presidency as a candidate of the Christian right, having already promised to not seek a fourth term in 2018.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Is it too late for my announcement or should I wait a turn?

[Wells]

Is it too late for my announcement or should I wait a turn?

You can go ahead with that but you'll have to wait until the next turn to do anything else.

[Wells]

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Campaigning in Minnesota costs more than one token.

[Kingpoleon]

"I'm proud to endorse Laura Rummel, the candidate of ideas. Senator Rummel is dedicated to the greatness of America and renewal of the Republican Party. Should she win the nomination, I will consider becoming a Republican. Senator Rummel represents a potential visionary that comes around only once in a lifetime. It would be an honor if I get to call her my President.

"O'Houlihan is an exceptional public figure, but may serve better as a Vice President or Secretary of Labor."

- Senator Napoleon King(I-MN)

[Wells]

Is that a good way to endorse?

What state is Senator Marks from?

[Wells]

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Campaigning in Minnesota costs more than one token.

Changed it to Maine.

And positive advertisements cost less than negative ones. Your post spends an extra token.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Is that a good way to endorse?

What state is Senator Marks from?

Democrat from Virginia. He was actually a character in a short project of stories me and a few internet friends wrote, so I thought it would be fun to endorse via him

[GoTfan]

Schedule for December 27-29

Balance: 40 tokens

Fundraising: 5 tokens

Campaign Stops in Iowa: 3 tokens

Speech excerpt:

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Barnstorm in New Hampshire: 10 tokens

Speech excerpt:

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Airing TV advertisement in every state: 2 tokens

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Campaign Stops in Nevada: 2 tokens

Speech excerpt:

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Campaign stops in South Carolina: 3 tokens

Speech excerpt:

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Barnstorm in Iowa: 10 tokes

Speech excerpt:

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Used tokens: 35
Remaining: 5

[ASPN]

Harmon for President

Fundraising in California : Ten Coins

Barnstorming in Iowa : Six coins

Speech excerpt:

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Rally in South Carolina : Three Coins

Speech excerpt:

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Barnstorming in Nevada : Two coins

Speech Excerpt:

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Tweet one point



Total points spent: 22

[VPH]

I endorse Bobby Jones