The Crusader (An Interview with Scott)

[Lumine]

lol

Very amusing, this is the same paper that happened to report on the allegations against me which were proposed  (and 100% made up) by YT and his allies, when you say he has been sabotaging "party people" for months, well yes, he tried to sabotage me with his allies through this very paper, quite a weird......twist?

Not to mention he went after me because he thinks I control fhtagn or something (as the earlier story perpetuated by them suggests) so it seemed very amusing to me. Guess this is how everything turns out in the end.

I can't help but to admit it, dfw, you're remarkably perseverant when it comes to defending your own version of events. My respects for that.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

lol

Very amusing, this is the same paper that happened to report on the allegations against me which were proposed  (and 100% made up) by YT and his allies, when you say he has been sabotaging "party people" for months, well yes, he tried to sabotage me with his allies through this very paper, quite a weird......twist?

Not to mention he went after me because he thinks I control fhtagn or something (as the earlier story perpetuated by them suggests) so it seemed very amusing to me. Guess this is how everything turns out in the end.

I can't help but to admit it, dfw, you're remarkably perseverant when it comes to defending your own version of events. My respects for that.

just to let you know this wasn't an attack on you though, just putting out the addendum if you will

[Blair]

Young Texan has allies?

[Trans Rights Are Human Rights]

Not to mention he went after me because he thinks I control fhtagn or something

I feel bad that my first thought was to make a joke about you being the bottom.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Young Texan has allies?

You should know not to trust R-TX types by now

[Lumine]

Greedo undergoes face transplant:

Exclusive images before and after the operation

[Kamala]

Didn't realize The Crusader became a checkout line tabloid. Atlasia needs one, though.

[KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸]

Greedo undergoes face transplant:

Exclusive images before and after the operation

It's sad that he's still blue. I don't want to share the same avatar colour as someone like Greedo.

[Lumine]

Didn't realize The Crusader became a checkout line tabloid. Atlasia needs one, though.

We've always done both serious and tabloid journalist as it seems appropiate. It's certainly more fun this way.

[Lumine]

A Statement from the Editor:

After a brief hiatus The Crusader is back. Before suspending operations a number of interviews were requested, and we offer our sincere apologies on the fact that said interviews were not conducted at the time. However, The Crusader is bringing back interviews starting as soon as possible, so we extend an open invitation to Atlasians interested in being interviewed by this media source.

[Lumine]

The Crusader is pleased to confirm its first three interviews for this year: President Fhtagn, former President Leinad and former Game Moderator 1184AZ. Should be an interesting experience, stay tuned!

[Lumine]

A Interview with the President: (Part I)

Former President Lumine and President Fhtagn open the revival of The Crusader's interviews:

Lumine: Madam President, welcome. A pleasure to have you here. The first topic I wish to touch upon relates to the fact that we are upon the fourth month since your ascension to the Presidency. Having governed for what equates to a traditional “full-term”, which accomplishment would you say is the more significant you’ve achieved?

Fhtagn: While this may not be something flashy and "big news" worthy to most, my answer to this is something that is not only near and dear to my heart, but something I have consistently campaigned on going all the way back to my Labor Party days: which is fulfilling some of the promises I've made to commit to promoting clean energy and protecting the environment. There's a few ways that we accomplished this. When I served in the House of Representatives, I had taken sponsorship of the Renewable Energy Rebate and Subsidy Act (which I had gotten the opportunity to sign into law back in September), which provided an incentive for both companies and private citizens to invest in renewable energy sources for their homes and businesses. I also had the opportunity in November to negotiate terms and sign into law the Carbon Tax Act, which not only ensures we hold ourselves accountable for our carbon emissions, but offers a source of funding for the Renewable Energy Rebate and Subsidy Act, as well as puts the excess revenue back into the pockets of our people to continue investing in clean energy solutions. And lastly, another bill I was heavily involved with in the House that I signed into law in December, The Preservation of Our Future Act, which ensures that we are protecting Atlasia's waterways and holding corporations accountable for their role in polluting our precious freshwater sources.

Lumine: Alternatively, and asking from the opposite end of the past question, what is your biggest regret since becoming President?

Fhtagn: I would say one of my biggest regrets would be getting caught up in the drama, and in some cases, partisan hackery, especially in the early days of my Presidency. I made the mistake of burning bridges with some people I held a great deal of respect for over disagreements big and small, such as folks like Senator Siren, Former Senator Scott, and even you (just to name a few) when it came to issues such as the Second Korean War and Atlasia's strategy, and even during the October Election. It certainly is a very fine line that is all too easy to cross, made even more difficult as someone who is a leader within their party and in a position where more information is received than can legally be relayed to others at the time.

Lumine: One of the issues that are more prominent at the moment is, of course, that of the civil war in North Korea. Without wishing to enter the realm of classified information, how would you describe the overall strategy of the administration on this front?

Fhtagn: Well, for starters, I think we can all agree this certainly was never a scenario any of us really wanted to find ourselves in. Like our involvement in many foreign conflicts, sometimes we don't end up with the results post-war that were intended, and we end up in a position where we must clean up the mess we left behind. As some may have tuned into, I recently made a statement coming out in support of the People's Republic of Korea, and that we should side with our allies in Japan and South Korea to recognize them as North Korea's legitimate government. While the details of our strategy are still a work in progress, I have been working closely with Secretary of State Reactionary to set up meetings with our allies and determine in which ways we can assist to ensure that peace and stability are reached in the region, and to solve the continuing humanitarian crisis resulting from the Second Korean War and the current civil war. We are also setting up meetings with our allies in China to ensure that they are on board with the strategy as well. Of course it is my hope that the end result of this is a stable region and a sitting government in North Korea that we can work closely with, so that we can avoid the tensions we have had with them for far too long.

Lumine: Another issue that has flared up in a most concerning manner is that of Spain and the strength of the secessionist movement in Catalonia. My question is, where do you stand personally when it comes to secessionism, both in Atlasia and in the case of Spain?

Fhtagn: When it comes to secessionism in general, I believe that there are sometimes extreme circumstances where it is a necessary and healthy step for an existing and soon to exist country, but ideally if a nation can remain unified and resolve their issues in a diplomatic manner, it should. In the case of Catalonia, I believe that the best approach is to support our friends, the Spanish government, and promote a unified Spain. This is something that was discussed when my administration submitted the Foreign Relations Review to Congress as well as in National Security Council meetings while it was being developed. That being said, the terms of the agreement between Spain and Catalonia in the meeting we mediated were agreed upon by both sides, and no matter what happens, the results of the referendum should be honored.

Lumine: With due respect, Madam President, there has been some degree of speculation in past weeks regarding internal events in the Federalist Party, in particular relating to issues of dissent such as the bizarre ordeal surrounding Senator Young Texan. What is your personal take on these matters?

Fhtagn: My personal take is that no party is without issues, especially ones as long standing as the Federalist Party. We have a very ideologically diverse group of individuals we are representing, and it is completely natural for there to be struggles here and there. As Vice Chair of the party, I work very closely with Chairman North Carolina Yankee to ensure that when things are starting to escalate, we work together on solutions to minimize the potential damage, and work on ensuring that our party remains unified. While there may be disagreements on specific policies, and even our approach to certain scenarios, our overall mission remains the same. As for the ordeal surrounding Senator Young Texan, I would be lying if I said I wasn't deeply disappointed to see someone I held respect for, brought into my administration as my Secretary of Internal Affairs and other positions, and aided in his election to the Senate turn his back and work against me. Since the controversy surrounding him was revealed, he has apologized to me and offered to make amends, and for the sake of our party and our friendship, he deserves the chance to try and redeem himself. What the future holds is something we will see as it develops.

[Lumine]

A Interview with the President: (Part II)

Lumine: There has been an interesting shift lately when it comes to ideology in Atlasia, with several politicians – myself included – a bit curious about what feels like a system more grounded in personality than ideas themselves. The first question is, of course, whether you agree with that broad assessment, but more importantly, how would you define your personal ideology?

Fhtagn: I can certainly say I agree with that assessment. And I'm sure many would say "Why would she say that when she benefited from that system?". The fact of the matter is, we are currently facing tough times in Atlasia. While I am happy for my party that we are dominating in many elections, I understand that having little to no opposition, and few intense debates on differences in policy ideas in many races and legislative sessions is not healthy for the game long term. One of the things I try to make sure I do when it comes time for elections is to present the people I contact with things I have done, or things I plan to do, and really give them a reason to vote for me. I have no interest in just being another popular personality, and these are things I try to push on candidates within my party who consult with me on elections they decide to run in. As for my personal ideology, anyone who is close to me or even held private conversations with me can tell you I've never really been one for labels (though I do sometimes wish it was easy for me to say things like "I'm a progressive/liberal/conservative/libertarian"). In a nutshell my ideology I guess can be described as socially "libertarian" and fiscally "moderate"/lean "conservative".

Applied to actual policies, I have long been a supporter of ensuring that the government does not interfere with the average citizen's private life as long as their actions do not infringe on the Constitutional rights of others. As stated in the first question I very much support a push for clean energy/energy independence, protecting our environment, and am very pro-science on most issues. I support protection for marginalized groups and ensuring elected officials, corporations, and other groups are held accountable in the event that they cause harm to those groups. That being said, we must not lose focus on an incredibly important issue: ensuring that Atlasia is responsible with it's finances. I fully supported the House's PAYGO Resolution ensuring all bills are funded, and hope that soon we can continue work on submitting the budget and finally balancing it. There are so many wonderful policy ideas that I have wholeheartedly agreed with, and when we make sure to stay on top of our finances, we can make sure that all these ideas that help us are feasible, and don't get passed only to either waste away due to lack of funding, or put our nation at further risk by spending more than what we actually have.

Lumine: I'd like to follow-up a bit on the overall political system we face, or party system if you will. What is the single biggest challenge the Federalist Party currently faces in your opinion?

Fhtagn: I think the biggest challenge we face now is "How do we ensure that we are still running active candidates and treating every race like it's competitive?" It's easy to try and sit back and say "we got this" or treat competition like it's not a threat and run people who may not be best suited for these positions. But with myself, and party members I advise in elections, I always find it best to treat your campaign as if you are already losing, and make a case for why you should win. We will not be in this dominant position forever, history has already proven this. We have new parties such as the Peace Party and Alliance with active members and ideas to change Atlasia, and I firmly believe with some regrouping and changes in leadership that the Labor Party will be back, and that is something we need to be prepared for.

Lumine: On the other side of the political aisle I think we've all been surprised by what seems like the agony of the Labor Party, particularly showcased in the midterm rout. What would you say is going wrong with the Atlasian left?

Fhtagn: Well, as someone who isn't on the inside, obviously I wouldn't be able to definitively say what happened with the Labor Party, so I wouldn't exactly consider my speculation an "expert opinion". But at least from what it seems from the outside looking in, there are a couple factors that have led to the downfall of the Labor Party and the Atlasian Left. I think the first, and most important factor is Leadership. The Labor Party has gone through numerous Chairmen in the last year, and a huge reason being due to ineffective and inactive people being placed in the position. The position of Party Chair isn't meant to be a warm body to fill it until something else is figured out, it's meant to be a proven leader within the party who has a clear vision and brings forward ideas to ensure success. Since the resignation of Blair, we saw this very briefly with windjammer, and the success of the Labor Party in August elections were clearly a result of that.

Secondly, there seems to have been a drop in ensuring that not only their party members run for positions, but that they run a smart and active campaign as well. We saw this start to slip away in October, and in a more extreme way in December. Of course, I understand people have lives, and there may be some races where there truly is no one a party can run (we have faced this at times in the Federalist Party as well). But the goal should be set by leadership that by the time the next elections come around, that issue can be resolved, be that through motivating existing party members, or recruiting fresh faces and giving them an opportunity to plant their seeds in Atlasia and blossom.

Lumine: While none of us can predict the future, you will be President of Atlasia for at least a few more weeks, potentially for another full consecutive term. What would be your single more important objective in the time you may have left in the White House?

Fhtagn: The single most important objective to me at this time and in my remaining time in the White House is finally passing a budget and working towards balancing it. I campaigned heavily on making sure that my administration completes this task that has been put off for far too long by previous administrations. While circumstances beyond my control and the control of many in the Budget Process Committee have delayed this, it is still at the very top of my list and I have no desire to end my time in office with it still incomplete.

Lumine: Madam President, thank you for this interview.

[fhtagn]

Thank you for the opportunity, Lumine!

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Greedo undergoes face transplant:

Exclusive images before and after the operation

LOL.  Well done.

[Mike Thick]

Agree fully with the President’s assessment of Labor, although the unfortunate reality is that there aren’t always going to be people around who have the ability and/or time to run a political party

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Agree fully with the President’s assessment of Labor, although the unfortunate reality is that there aren’t always going to be people around who have the ability and/or time to run a political party

Well not if you don't go out, find them and mentor/develop them while giving them the space to grow and thrive.

[Lumine]

"Reform" launches ultimatum:

Atlasia gets its own Gang of Four

[Lumine]

Reform Party erases YT?

Young Texan suspected to have lost power struggle

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Reform Party erases YT?

Young Texan suspected to have lost power struggle

Young Trotsky

[RC]

Reform Party erases YT?

Young Texan suspected to have lost power struggle

He didn't lose in any power struggle. We didn't fight in the first place. He is a member first and will continue to be a member for as long as we're working in Atlasia

[wxtransit]

TELL US MORE!

[Wells]

Young Texan has allies?

This quote is pretty funny two months later.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

TELL US MORE!

We need dirty laundry!!!!

- Don Henley

[Lumine]

The Rise of Reform:

Reform Party continues to find astounding success