KaiserDave AMA: with Philist Characteristics

[KaiserDave]

Recently passed 4,500 posts here, and I'm bored and it's been a while since I've done one of these.


Shoot.

[KaiserDave]

1. Why does everyone underrate Senator Peters?

2. Are you from VT?

1. They either are ignorant of his raw political talent and unbelievable charisma, or they are paid to undermine him. Either way, I believe in the beard.

2. I am not, though I spent a lot of time there and plan to perhaps study there.

How did you react to Colleen Hanabusa coming in third place in the mayoral primary?

Tears, copious tears.

Favorite NYC neighborhood?

Mine is up there, but I don't want to release that so I will omit it. I will speak of Brooklyn exclusively because I know it best. I like Ditmas Park, Red Hook, and Gowanus. Also even though it's not in Brooklyn, gotta say Flushing Meadows for all the mets memories.

[KaiserDave]

Favorite type of Ice Cream?

Mint Chip, preferably Ben & Jerry's. Also Raspberry Sorbet is great.

So, if I'm remembering my map of NYC right, you live Nydia Velazquez's district?

What is your opinion of her as your Congressperson?

My Atlas location is fake.

I like her though. She's alright.

[KaiserDave]

We know your thoughts on Phil Scott, but what's your opinion on his moderate GOP brethren: Charlie Baker & Larry Hogan?

Good question. I like them, Hogan and Baker have also hit it out of the park through COVID. Their anti-Trump credentials are strong, and I'd say they are true moderates. However I do not like them as much as I like Scott. I think they are both to the right of him, and I think Hogan in particular is someone who would modify their beliefs if he wanted to get competitive on the national level. But that is still speculation. Baker I like, and I think he's a good Governor although I don't love all of his education policy. Unrelated, but Marty Walsh is cool.

1. Scott
2. Baker
3. Hogan

When did you fall in love with Phil Scott?

I'll direct you to my signature as to why, but as to when that is a good question. My first encounter with Governor Scott was watching an attack ad against him by his primary opponent in the summer of 2016 while I was in Vermont. Being far less politically educated, I guessed that the the Democrat would naturally win in a landslide. But Phil won comfortably that year. But I really became a fan of Phil when he signed a gun control package after a near school shooting in Vermont, and despite it being a bad political calculation, he did the right thing. I did more research into him, and the rest is history.

[KaiserDave]

I'll direct you to my signature as to why, but as to when that is a good question. My first encounter with Governor Scott was watching an attack ad against him by his primary opponent in the summer of 2016 while I was in Vermont. Being far less politically educated, I guessed that the the Democrat would naturally win in a landslide. But Phil won comfortably that year. But I really became a fan of Phil when he signed a gun control package after a near school shooting in Vermont, and despite it being a bad political calculation, he did the right thing. I did more research into him, and the rest is history.

I have read your "why" post. I asked you the "when" specifically because you did not mention any time frame there. Interesting story anyways!

Oh but the when is there!

[KaiserDave]

Since you like Phil Scott: What is your opinion of Charlie Baker?

Answered already but essentially, like him, don't love him

[KaiserDave]

Opinion of PVDA in Belgium?

I'm not a Marxist, or a communist so I will have to HP. But I give them credit for not being sectarian.

[KaiserDave]

Would you vote for Phil Scott over Ed Markey?

Depends on the circumstances. In a presidential election, probably Markey. For governor of a state, more likely Scott. As I've illustrated before nationalizing things changes things, and while Phil has been on the right side of most national issues I've seen, that could change if he was put in a nationalized spotlight. So for that reason probably the liberal Democrat.

[KaiserDave]

Opinion of Atlasia? (If you don't really know you don't have to answer)

What do you think will win in the Lt. Governor's race and opinion of your congress person, (you don't have to tell your exact one but your exact and surrounding)

My opinion is limited because my activity in Atlasia is next to nothing

In 2022? I'm really not sure. I'm not sure who's interested in the job. My congress person is alright, I had issues with them but they've been better as of late.

Have you always been a social democrat?

Pretty much. Maybe the labeling of myself has changed, but my opinions have generally been mostly the same, they've only become more informed, and they've adapted at times to life experiences and global affairs.

[KaiserDave]

Would you vote for Phil Scott over Ed Markey?

Depends on the circumstances. In a presidential election, probably Markey. For governor of a state, more likely Scott. As I've illustrated before nationalizing things changes things, and while Phil has been on the right side of most national issues I've seen, that could change if he was put in a nationalized spotlight. So for that reason probably the liberal Democrat.

Following-up on this: if Bernie were hypothetically appointed to Biden's cabinet & Scott were the Republican nominee in the special election, does this mean you'd likely support whoever the Democratic nominee is over Scott since it's a federal race?

Not necessarily. I don't see why Scott would pivot to the right here, if anything he'd have to pivot further left in order to take the seat, and would have to stake our maverick positions (such as opposing continued leadership of Cocaine Mitch) in order to win a Senate race in Vermont. What I think we'd be looking at is the most left version of Scott possible. Now in the Senate itself where he's in the same caucus as Tom Cotton and Rick Scott and off the campaign trail it's more tricky, but Phil has given me a lot of reasons to trust him.

If Phil Scott ran for Senate in 2022 would you support him? Also what are your thoughts on your current Governor, Andrew Cuomo?

See above for the first question.

Andrew is meh. He's done some good, like making SUNY free for New York's states poorer students, or legalizing same-sex marriage back in the day, responding (mostly) alright to coronavirus, or doing much to expand tourism upstate. But he's also an egomaniac who picks a fight on every little thing with de Blasio, openly muses about destroying public education, and is far too connected with the state's wealthiest.

[KaiserDave]

Favourite city or town in Upstate New York? And in the state of Vermont?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Off the top of my head, Saratoga for NY and......Stowe? Putney? Maybe Montpelier I'm not sure. I also enjoyed Brattleboro and of course Burlington.

[KaiserDave]

Shameless Disgraceful Bump

[KaiserDave]

Rank them:

Phil Scott
Bobby Scott
David Scott
Rick Scott
Tim Scott
Scott (the Atlas Politician)

Phil Scott
Scott
Bobby Scott
David Scott
Tim Scott





Rick Scott

[KaiserDave]

Best dem challenger to Phil Scott: Sue Minter, Christine Hallquist, or David Zuckerman?

In order of my liking them, well it's mostly the same. They all have their own issues. They are all middling, I suppose on the FF side rather than HP.

In order of challenger strength

David Zuckerman
Sue Minter
Christine Hallquist

[KaiserDave]

Favourite city or town in Upstate New York? And in the state of Vermont?

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Off the top of my head, Saratoga for NY and......Stowe? Putney? Maybe Montpelier I'm not sure. I also enjoyed Brattleboro and of course Burlington.

Don't know how much time you've spent in the Burlington, but do you have a favorite restaurant/shop/spot in the Burlington area?

Hmmmm

Burlington Farmers Market I quite liked. But those are all across the state. But you know if I DO go to UVM I will be able to answer this question better in one year's time.

[KaiserDave]

Since you've mentioned Putney, what are some of your impressions of the place?

Loved the area! I have a friend there who had a lovely substantial garden/farm, solar powered too

[KaiserDave]

You've spoken a little about your background, I was curious if you could expand on it? I believe you mentioned your dad or granddad is from Quebec.

That's a good question. I won't go into too much detail for privacy's sake, but I will provide some detail.

My Dad's side of the family is Irish Catholic, and has lived in Quebec for some 150 years (and for longer for the side of my Dad's family that is French Québécois). My Dad is the only member of his family who lives in the United States. Everyone else lives in Quebec, with some in Alberta and Ontario. My family is English-speaking, some of my relatives speak French, even fluent, and my cousins all speak French to some degree. But my paternal grandfather for instance speaks no French at all. For political purposes, they are all Liberal voters, but I believe some protest voted NDP or Green in the most recent election. One of my relatives has political connections from when he was in a certain government related role, he may vote PC in the next election due to personal connections with the current PC leader.

My Mom's side of the family is Ashkenazi Jews originating from various parts of Eastern Europe (Russia, Romania, Poland, Germany, Lithuania?). My Mom's family has been in the United States I think for around 100 years. However, my family is highly assimilated into American life. Nobody in my family speaks any other language other than a few Yiddish phrases. My maternal family is smaller than my paternal family. For politics, they are mostly typical Democrats. My maternal Grandfather however hates most politicians, and his mother for instance only liked Adlai Stevenson II (or was it HHH I can't remember). Some of my Great-Great-Grandparents and great-Grandparents, I believe were in the CPUSA and were Marxist-Leninists.

[KaiserDave]

Thoughts on Phil Batt?

It's cool that he plays the saxophone (yes I looked that up).

[KaiserDave]

There was a new poll that came out recently that asked Vermont voters if Phil Scott challenged Sen. Leahy in 2022, who would they vote for, and Scott led Leahy by a few points.

Do you think he'll run and why?

That's an excellent question and I'll direct you to my extensive comments here

In short. I would bet that he doesn't. I would say he's more likely to seek a fourth and final term as Governor. However, it's not out of the question. Scott spent 10 years in the State Senate so he's not foreign to legislative as opposed to executive roles. He also is uniquely poised to do so, given that he's the most popular political figure in the entire state. The fact that the poll even asked the question makes me wonder if it's being considered.

So. If Leahy retires, and Democrats have a few seats of cushion for their majority, I could see it happening. But if Leahy runs for another term (keep in mind I do like him, he's a cool dude), or Democrats only have a 50-50 or 51-49 majority, I think it's highly unlikely.

Ultimately it's up to Phil. Does he want to retire when he's done as Governor like Jim Douglas did? Or does he have bigger plans? I don't know.

[KaiserDave]

How do you feel about Lake Champlain? How about the areas around the Taconic State Parkway?

Love Lake Champlain! I've spent time in and around it, and in the lakes nearby in Vermont and Quebec.

The Taconic is one of the nicest places to drive. Little traffic (well at least the last time), and good views.

[KaiserDave]

I don't know much about the Vermont GOP these days, but do you believe that they have a path forward post Phil Scott?

From a glance...no not really. I can't see the future, maybe they have another young moderate in the mold of Phil or Jim Douglas coming down the pipe, but I'm not sure. The current Chairwoman is a crazy person who thinks Biden has advanced dementia, and many of the voters are right wing. I don't know. I know that when Scott doesn't run again, the governorship is flipping without a doubt. I hope T. J. Donovan (D-Chittenden) gets it.

[KaiserDave]

There was a new poll that came out recently that asked Vermont voters if Phil Scott challenged Sen. Leahy in 2022, who would they vote for, and Scott led Leahy by a few points.

Do you think he'll run and why?

That's an excellent question and I'll direct you to my extensive comments here

In short. I would bet that he doesn't. I would say he's more likely to seek a fourth and final term as Governor. However, it's not out of the question. Scott spent 10 years in the State Senate so he's not foreign to legislative as opposed to executive roles. He also is uniquely poised to do so, given that he's the most popular political figure in the entire state. The fact that the poll even asked the question makes me wonder if it's being considered.

So. If Leahy retires, and Democrats have a few seats of cushion for their majority, I could see it happening. But if Leahy runs for another term (keep in mind I do like him, he's a cool dude), or Democrats only have a 50-50 or 51-49 majority, I think it's highly unlikely.

Ultimately it's up to Phil. Does he want to retire when he's done as Governor like Jim Douglas did? Or does he have bigger plans? I don't know.

Perhaps he could be in the cabinet of a...Nikki Haley administration?

Potentially. But I don't see Haley becoming President.

[KaiserDave]

Bumping for 8k posts! Woot!

Joined the Blog in September 2018, and I don't regret it

[KaiserDave]

Since there was never a formal ending, do you know what an epilogue to your Weimar game would have said?

Yeah the game unfortunately petered out for two reasons
1) November Election chaos and that taking all of my and our collective time
2) The quality of gameplay really declined after RGM and you both quit. Not that I blame either of you, but things just didn't feel the same.

Nevertheless, I had a TON of fun with it and I hope you all did as well.

I had two planned epilogues. One for a monarchist restoration and one for a Thälmannite takeover. Here are the two endings

1. Monarchy
Wilhelm III is brought to the throne with Papen or Hugenberg as Chancellor with a constitution probably resembling the one Wilhelm II begrudgingly accepted in 1918, depending on how the game goes. There's a diplomatic annexation of Austria, possibly of the Sudetenland as well, and/or the Danzig corridor. Generally more amicable relations with the west, as Kingpoleon had pursued. I hadn't worked out the 30s very well, I focused more on later. There's probably some non-conclusive conflict with the USSR in the late 40s, and an odd Cold War situation. I thought more about the internal political situation, which would involve a relatively conservative monarchy entering the 50s and 60s, as fairy prosperous but with a wealth gap and vast liberal dissent. Sometime in the 60s there is a mass student movement calling for reforms, and some for the abolition of the monarchy. The civilian government, led by some fairly reactionary figure Adolf von Thadden is thrown out by the Reichstag, and it looks like they're about to appoint a more liberal figure like a Knonrad Adenauer. Then the Junkers intervene with a military coup, led by perhaps Alfred Jodl trying to install a military dictatorship. The protestors stand down the military, then the Kaiser intervenes, ordering the army to stand down. The army breaks, and order returns. The Kaiser appoints a moderate to liberal Chancellor who passes sweeping reforms, freedoms, and so on. Germany enters the late 1900s as a confident constitutional monarchy. Not sure about the rest.
2. Communism
Thälmann's revolution sweeps over Germany. There's conflict for a few years after as the conservative population resists, it's very likely Bavaria becomes independent in its own right which is something I was setting up. Thälmann probably loses a few bits of territory to Germany's neighbors as he purges the military establishment and political society, which remains deeply conservative. Devout Centrist said he wanted a Tito-type regime, but there would probably still be violent land reform and establishing central planning would take time. Germany probably doesn't rearm until the mid to late 40s. When they do we settle into a Cold War type situation, Germany probably establishes some independence from Moscow, and wages wars to reconquer Bavaria and other pieces of territory, but careful to not cause a larger conflict. I'm again not sure about foreign policy, you might see a major war with the west, without nukes, as such weapons would probably not be developed as fast. I was playing with the idea of the regime collapsing eastern bloc style, or perhaps turning into a EuroCommunist type system that turns basically into a very left leaning Republic.

Not that fleshed out but it had a lot of good ideas I think

[KaiserDave]

Opinion of Atlasia? (If you don't really know you don't have to answer)

What do you think will win in the Lt. Governor's race and opinion of your congress person, (you don't have to tell your exact one but your exact and surrounding)

My opinion is limited because my activity in Atlasia is next to nothing

In 2022? I'm really not sure. I'm not sure who's interested in the job. My congress person is alright, I had issues with them but they've been better as of late.

Ironic in hindsight.

Speaking of which, were you dragged kicking and screaming formally recruited for office by the Labor intelligentsia, or did you spontaneously decide to become a more active player and run for the Council?

Very ironic.

I was offered the link to Laborcord and I was bored from quarantine so I said what the heck and joined up. When Ishan resigned from the Council I thought what the heck again and chose to run. It was fairly spontaneous.