Cao/OSR October 2021: A Place for All in Atlasia (Thank You — Till We Meet Again)

[Joseph Cao]

[Bloomington–Normal, Illinois]

Good evening to my fellow Atlasians, to my dear friends and all the people in this beautiful nation of ours.

As we speak, the other side of the world is hanging on the brink of an international crisis that has been discussed at length elsewhere. People have asked me why foreign affairs weigh so heavily on my mind and lead me to pursue them in Congress (often alongside my colleague the Vice President) more forcefully than almost anyone in the past couple of years. I will get to that in due course. To begin with, however, these kinds of events remind us of the presence we exert as a nation. The role we play on the world stage matters a great deal for the fate of our country, not least because of what our history means to the world. The Founding, the revolution, the Civil War, Bloody July and the Fourth Constitution – that tells a story. A story that is still unfinished, true, but it is now incumbent upon us to continue the story in the vein that this political experiment has set for us.

It is a story that matters just as much to those abroad as those here, and so its realization needs to be seen here if it is to have any credibility abroad. What can be seen as we turn from abroad to look at these fair shores? A nation still brimming with potential, and a game which I believe can still yield that potential to those who look for it. If activity is low, if the usual functions of the game are drying up on the vine, it is our place to change that. If there are crises at home and abroad, it is the job of our Congress and our regions and, yes, our executive branch to face them.

We don’t need to lose all of that for want of people to do the jobs, especially in the executive branch, where there is an opportunity like no other for a visible and guided leadership on behalf of the people of this great nation. Not when opportunities exist to provide healthcare that keeps our people well cared for and continues to be the envy of the world; to bring our nation’s security and economy firmly into the new century with all the boundless possibilities it offers; to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of our fellow Atlasians in every conceivable form necessary.

All this is an uphill battle, but this game never got anywhere by shying away from uphill battles and neither have I. I’m running for president because that battle needs to be fought.

These elections have a place too, partly as barometers of our national health. For the game’s sake – if it is to make a full recovery – October must be a full and forceful repudiation of the malaise of the past few months. Insofar as that is possible I want to make this an election we can all be proud of. My campaign, as I’m sure others have learned to expect, will be a clean one, and even if it were the case that the fireworks earlier this year enlivened the game far beyond its current state, I would like to take an alternative path. Scott and Battista are good friends and good folks whose contributions have made the game better; all I hope is that the same can be said for myself and those with me.

Because that is ultimately a realization we must all make, one that already exists even if we have not acted on it to its fullest extent: there is a place for everyone. For the people of this nation in whatever they do; for leadership from the top in Nyman, for honest work in Congress, for regional leaders who are conscious of the needs of their states and regions. I would not be here today if there had not been realization after realization, by many different people, of this fundamental part of how Atlasia has grown and how it can move forward.

My parents moved from one country to another in their search for security, as their parents did before them, and I owe my position here this evening to all the times and places around the globe where we have found it – the very last of which was here in the good old Republic of Atlasia. I will stand for the work and hopes and ambitions of them and the millions more like them in our nation, so that Atlasia can continue to be the beacon it has been for people the world over.

Lincoln is my home, and I will stand for the people of this region as we face one of the most consequential decisions we will make in the five-odd years of our existence; for this union and the hope that it provides.

Atlasia, this nation and this collection of incredible people, can still come alive, and as long as we are here I and my party and the people who support it will stand for the good of our fellow citizens. There’s a place for us all in Atlasia, for the parts of the game we can play, for new players and new opportunities in the new year ahead.

And if you believe that too, I hope you’ll join me on this campaign. We have work to do.

[Joseph Cao]

What are your thoughts on LT and his actions?

What LT did post-election was indefensible, as I told him so in no uncertain terms when they happened, including the attempts at post-election memeing which I voiced my heavy disapproval of both publicly and privately (just the same as the recent memeing that we're currently being dragged to the voting booth to entertain). That is all obvious. What he's said to Scott in the past has also caused Scott a great deal of hurt that probably will not be repaired for a long time, if ever, and that did not have to happen. I wish that had not happened, both for Scott's sake and for the sake of the game. That's on LT.

It is also a fact that in a strictly personal capacity LT and Scott quite obviously need to work something out based on all that's happened, however little interest they have shown in doing so in public. As much as I wish we could, nobody can force them to kiss and make up if they don't want to: not me; not you, Weatherboy; not anyone in either the Feds or Labor. It's LT's job to fix the bridges he burned with other Atlasians, and I am speaking in both the personal and legal sense at this point. It certainly is not the job of myself, yourself, or anyone else to wrench the wound open over and over and keep that from ever happening, because I don't think this animosity will ever resolve itself if its flames keep being fanned like this. Forgiveness is a two-way street: if LT fully acknowledges and apologizes for what he did it also falls to the people he's wronged to accept the apology. Unfortunately neither side seems inclined to do what they need to do.

Atlasia is a small game. It is impossible to ignore the personal aspect of the game, and if you want a healthy game, you don't go around elbowing people and you don't decide to keep on elbowing others because someone elbowed someone else. I need to hear that just as much as anyone else. That is part of why I'm running the way I am.

[Joseph Cao]

Actually I think I will say something about this. I wanted to keep my thoughts private because I am simply so done with this situation but as you all are reading this I have obviously decided otherwise. This block of text won't take my more classic polished block of text style so bear with me.

I respect Cao quite a lot, in part because we are close politically and in part because I very much appreciate effort in this game and he clearly goes the extra mile. I say this so it is clear I am not coming from some place of harbored discontent -- in fact of those who supported the DA's LT resolution, I was probably the most conservative member and the most on the fence, and even after the resolution's passage, I still want (ed?) to see the opposition's relations repaired.

That being said, Cao's most recent speech makes it clear to me that the Federalists want to project an image of moderation while not rousing LT too much either. Exactly why the Feds want to have it both ways isn't clear to me, perhaps there are worries of a caucus split if the line is taken too hard on LT or maybe LT holds too much weight in the party. However, it is clear nonetheless that the Feds' strategy for the LT situation is to address it from a point of "would you look at that, that guy did something I or the party would never condone and is clearly acting alone...next question." LT received no punishment for his egregious actions (not even a censure?) and the Feds are hoping it no longer becomes an issue as time progresses.

Perhaps they are right, and perhaps the DA might have removed ourselves from the veepstakes for the foreseeable future (let's be honest, Labor would never have a joint DA candidacy either because ooooh scary DA), but seeing that the Feds are taking this approach leads me to think we made the right call. LT's actions weren't just Discord drama, he literally tried to dispute the election and has ""barred"" a presidential candidate from coming to his region. Memes or not, those actions carry weight.

This narrative came to a head for me when reading the last part of Cao's speech. Particularly this line:

Forgiveness is a two-way street: if LT fully acknowledges and apologizes for what he did it also falls to the people he's wronged to accept the apology. Unfortunately neither side seems inclined to do what they need to do.

Forgiveness isn't a two-way street if the street hasn't been paved in the first place. LT has not showed an inkling of moving towards an apology. Equating the justified disgust people like Scott have had to LT to LT's lack of an apology is frankly appaling. He made highly insensitive comments and while I am of the belief that one should always forgive when wronged, that does not mean one has to become buddy buddy and make up, ESPECIALLY when it is not being offered in ANY way by the other side. Scott/Weatherboy/etc don't "need" to do anything publicly to "make up" with LT. It's LT's job to come to the table first, he was the one who wronged. Plain and simple.

Also, "forgiveness is a two way street" seems to suggest to me that Scott/Weatherboy/etc wronged LT somehow. Hopefully I'm just reading that wrong. But if I'm reading that right...what?

This speech combined with the greater sentiment from non-LT Fed leadership with this hands-up "oh what can we do, it's just LT!" mentality that shows disgust on one hand and does nothing to punish it on the other is going to make the Federalists increasingly farther from the few swing voters like me who pay attention that they are trying to keep to their side with both ways mentality in the first place.

What I say may not matter in the end anyway though, to be honest. Such few swing voters are outvoted by the zombies. The Feds may win this election, without the DA and without actually doing anything about LT, and if they do I have a feeling nothing will change. But if the Feds keep losing perhaps there's now another reason than just "Labor's so dominant we're discouraged." Maybe the Feds are right that this becomes a non-issue very soon. But you lost some good friends in the DA loyal to the opposition cause through this debacle, and if the LT issue does somehow find a way to stay salient, you will probably lose some more.

I should be clear about the wording here. In no way am I suggesting that people should make up with LT without him apologizing first, the first part of my response made that pretty clear: he needs to take action to start mending the bridge, not anyone else. It’s because those actions carry weight that there is an imperative for him to do so.

Apologies do need to be accepted though, if they are to actually do any good in mending relations; that’s the two-way part. And it’s clear Scott would not accept an apology (with good reason) if it were not sincere, and moreover that – as the President and others have said – a mere apology from him isn’t likely to cut it with the people that it needs to reach. What I am getting at is a genuine apology needs to come from LT himself; it will not come from us pushing him to the table because that would only yield a half-hearted apology that everyone would be at least justified in dismissing out of hand. My disappointment with all this lies mostly with the fact that that seems unlikely to ever come no matter what any of us do.

I think that answers Sev’s question too, because I have not said at any point that LT has apologized, and while he really needs to do that I really doubt in the current atmosphere that anyone would accept it even if it was a sincere one.

As far as moderation goes, I’ve always taken that tone – that’s nothing new. If I am appearing to have it both ways it’s because, on a personal level and entirely removed from whatever the parties are doing, I want the game to get out of this urination contest between LT and everyone else.

your blatant carpetbagging of the Lincoln election should leave many people very hesitant to support you.

He has spent literally his entire career registered in Lincoln and he is GOTVing zombies who have always been registered in Lincoln.

I am more referring to his M.I.A. status on this and any other recent Lincoln issue until he realized he could use this to inflate his perceived political capital for the presidential run. But the opportunism, along with the LT appeasement, has scuppered much of the goodwill he once held across the aisle.

Oh, believe me, I have had plenty to say about Lincoln's issues in the past. My office is proof of that. And I'd happily say them all again.

[Joseph Cao]

Actually I think I will say something about this. I wanted to keep my thoughts private because I am simply so done with this situation but as you all are reading this I have obviously decided otherwise. This block of text won't take my more classic polished block of text style so bear with me.

I respect Cao quite a lot, in part because we are close politically and in part because I very much appreciate effort in this game and he clearly goes the extra mile. I say this so it is clear I am not coming from some place of harbored discontent -- in fact of those who supported the DA's LT resolution, I was probably the most conservative member and the most on the fence, and even after the resolution's passage, I still want (ed?) to see the opposition's relations repaired.

That being said, Cao's most recent speech makes it clear to me that the Federalists want to project an image of moderation while not rousing LT too much either. Exactly why the Feds want to have it both ways isn't clear to me, perhaps there are worries of a caucus split if the line is taken too hard on LT or maybe LT holds too much weight in the party. However, it is clear nonetheless that the Feds' strategy for the LT situation is to address it from a point of "would you look at that, that guy did something I or the party would never condone and is clearly acting alone...next question." LT received no punishment for his egregious actions (not even a censure?) and the Feds are hoping it no longer becomes an issue as time progresses.

Perhaps they are right, and perhaps the DA might have removed ourselves from the veepstakes for the foreseeable future (let's be honest, Labor would never have a joint DA candidacy either because ooooh scary DA), but seeing that the Feds are taking this approach leads me to think we made the right call. LT's actions weren't just Discord drama, he literally tried to dispute the election and has ""barred"" a presidential candidate from coming to his region. Memes or not, those actions carry weight.

This narrative came to a head for me when reading the last part of Cao's speech. Particularly this line:

Forgiveness is a two-way street: if LT fully acknowledges and apologizes for what he did it also falls to the people he's wronged to accept the apology. Unfortunately neither side seems inclined to do what they need to do.

Forgiveness isn't a two-way street if the street hasn't been paved in the first place. LT has not showed an inkling of moving towards an apology. Equating the justified disgust people like Scott have had to LT to LT's lack of an apology is frankly appaling. He made highly insensitive comments and while I am of the belief that one should always forgive when wronged, that does not mean one has to become buddy buddy and make up, ESPECIALLY when it is not being offered in ANY way by the other side. Scott/Weatherboy/etc don't "need" to do anything publicly to "make up" with LT. It's LT's job to come to the table first, he was the one who wronged. Plain and simple.

Also, "forgiveness is a two way street" seems to suggest to me that Scott/Weatherboy/etc wronged LT somehow. Hopefully I'm just reading that wrong. But if I'm reading that right...what?

This speech combined with the greater sentiment from non-LT Fed leadership with this hands-up "oh what can we do, it's just LT!" mentality that shows disgust on one hand and does nothing to punish it on the other is going to make the Federalists increasingly farther from the few swing voters like me who pay attention that they are trying to keep to their side with both ways mentality in the first place.

What I say may not matter in the end anyway though, to be honest. Such few swing voters are outvoted by the zombies. The Feds may win this election, without the DA and without actually doing anything about LT, and if they do I have a feeling nothing will change. But if the Feds keep losing perhaps there's now another reason than just "Labor's so dominant we're discouraged." Maybe the Feds are right that this becomes a non-issue very soon. But you lost some good friends in the DA loyal to the opposition cause through this debacle, and if the LT issue does somehow find a way to stay salient, you will probably lose some more.

I should be clear about the wording here. In no way am I suggesting that people should make up with LT without him apologizing first, the first part of my response made that pretty clear: he needs to take action to start mending the bridge, not anyone else. It’s because those actions carry weight that there is an imperative for him to do so.

Apologies do need to be accepted though, if they are to actually do any good in mending relations; that’s the two-way part. And it’s clear Scott would not accept an apology (with good reason) if it were not sincere, and moreover that – as the President and others have said – a mere apology from him isn’t likely to cut it with the people that it needs to reach. What I am getting at is a genuine apology needs to come from LT himself; it will not come from us pushing him to the table because that would only yield a half-hearted apology that everyone would be at least justified in dismissing out of hand. My disappointment with all this lies mostly with the fact that that seems unlikely to ever come no matter what any of us do.

I think that answers Sev’s question too, because I have not said at any point that LT has apologized, and while he really needs to do that I really doubt in the current atmosphere that anyone would accept it even if it was a sincere one.

As far as moderation goes, I’ve always taken that tone – that’s nothing new. If I am appearing to have it both ways it’s because, on a personal level and entirely removed from whatever the parties are doing, I want the game to get out of this urination contest between LT and everyone else.

your blatant carpetbagging of the Lincoln election should leave many people very hesitant to support you.

He has spent literally his entire career registered in Lincoln and he is GOTVing zombies who have always been registered in Lincoln.

I am more referring to his M.I.A. status on this and any other recent Lincoln issue until he realized he could use this to inflate his perceived political capital for the presidential run. But the opportunism, along with the LT appeasement, has scuppered much of the goodwill he once held across the aisle.

Oh, believe me, I have had plenty to say about Lincoln's issues in the past. My office is proof of that. And I'd happily say them all again.

This still sounds like you are making out LT to be a victim in some way, or at least that the people he wronged are themselves in the wrong. To say you think they wouldn't accept an apology, "even a sincere one" places the victims in an accusatory position.

Moreover, an apology isn't enough. It's clear the governor needs to go to trial and let the justice system decide what consequences if any he should face. After another prosecutor was unable to complete it, I have been granted the responsibility to make the People's case and will be bringing it this week after the elections are over.

…no? I don't think they would be in the wrong, necessarily, for taking the stance that an apology wouldn't be enough. You don't think so; I'm not making a judgment of whether you or anyone else is in the right or wrong for that stance. I'm making an observation about how high tempers have run recently and the viability of lowering them.

And LT, I'm not exactly buddy-buddy with Crane but he has a right to voice an opinion which I disagree with.

[Joseph Cao]

What are your thoughts on Spark's proposal to bring back the Secretary of Internal Affairs, Domestic Policy Council, Space Council, etc.?

Regarding the SoIA, there has been a lot of talk about how it was abolished because the office wasn’t doing anything. As conceived it was a key position in the feedback loop between Congress, the regions, and the GM, and I think it’s fair to say the concept of something like that is sorely needed now that people feel passing regional or even federal bills has no effect on the game, but it is an enormous portfolio and that is why realistically, with few exceptions, the office was underutilized. In view of that, I don’t think it is necessarily a net benefit to add another office to fill to the deficit we have right now. Still, we need something like it and even a small provision that the GM or another relevant official provide regular updates on how the federal bills affect things regionally, or vice versa, can go a long way toward fixing the feedback loops on which this game is supposed to operate.

As for non-NSC councils: there are currently too many obstacles to a functioning DPC, Space Council, etc. – candidates for them, logistical problems with getting everyone to pull their weight – to convince me that their establishment would have the intended effect of concentrating policy discussion. Even if there was a Space Council or a Climate Council the real busywork on those issues is going to have to happen in Congress; even if I managed to find someone other than WB willing to discuss space issues in detail they are in a position to drive a productive legislative discussion if they wanted to.

[Joseph Cao]

Can you please answer my questions

Ah, apologies.

What in your opinion should be done about the individuals that refuse to take the COVID vaccine assuming that we see COVID-19 continue to spread among this group? What ultimate lessons do you believe we should take from the pandemic and the various responses that we’ve seen in Atlasia and around the world?

I favor what back in the home countries have been called "differentiated measures": as far as your workplace and the rest of the private sector is concerned, if you can get vaccinated (no medical exemptions etc.) but choose not to, then you get to undergo a rigorous and continuous testing regime the cost of which you are going to have to bear. Our vaccination campaign has of course been driven by medical professionals on the ground, by vaccine hesitants' families, people who are best placed to convince others on a personal level, which has been responsible for the great vaccination rates we've seen; a federal mandate in my view won't be any more effective at convincing them to get the shot than the ongoing concerted campaigns to persuade people of why they need to get it.

This all ties in naturally to our fight against COVID being a long-term one. The barely year-long window between vaccine development and their widespread use among over three-quarters of the population is unprecedented in human history, especially with how high-profile it has been. We have not seen the full extent of the education campaigns and other measures that will need to be taken to get COVID shots on the same level in the public consciousness as flu or measles shots. COVID in general has been like this, what with the steep learning curve governments all over the world have faced, but it's clear that those countries that kept the flexibility to stay on top of the public health situation without trespassing on the needs and specific circumstances of their people (rather than simply steamrolling the population and covering things up, as China did, or pretending it didn't exist, as Brazil initially did) have done the best, because that twofold situation allows for governments to respond properly to the changing circumstances of COVID among their constituents. Atlasia has had one of the best responses in the world and I'm proud to have played my small part in contributing to it.

At what point if any should someone’s personal character and actions disqualify them from earning your vote? Would you ever support someone you disagreed with less on the issues over personality and or personal character?

Yes.

To elaborate, as I've mentioned I like both Scott and Battista and if I were registered in Fremont rather than the great Region of Lincoln (the best one) I certainly would have voted for them. They've done good jobs in office and are great people. I've voted for folks like Jimmy (pre-DA) and KaiserDave who have taken the same general stance. I prefer to focus on the good that people can bring to the table when considering my votes, but obviously people who have made the game "worse"—forgotten that they share this space with other people who deserve respect, etc., plus whatever attendant in-game consequences there are for that—are ranked lower all else being equal.

Lastly without commenting on any on going potential cases do you believe conduct on atlas  related discord servers such as LOKcord  should ever result in individuals facing criminal charges based on their conduct?

Whether or not someone does something that violates Discord TOS is irrelevant to whether that constitutes a violation of Atlasian law, just the same as for Atlas TOS. Atlasian law does not affect whether an officeholder or citizen in Atlasia gets sanctioned for something they did in the wider forum, or even offsite, either or Discord or anywhere else. In those cases, I understand, the user gets sanctioned based on Atlas TOS rather than other concerns; likewise for Discord and sanctions based on Discord TOS.

Conversely, as long as criminal charges are on the table we are limited only to considering Atlasian law in-game, not prosecuting based on Discord TOS or Atlas TOS or other concerns. Regarding the extent to which Atlasian law applies in places other than the AFE/AFG boards, existing language in legislation like the RLPCCR has left interpretation open as to what that extent is (some crimes apply to the Wiki, or to the forum, but these are specified in clauses rather than implied across the entire text) and I would be getting ahead of the Court and legal experts in judging the overall matter. I guess my default is it depends on the specifics of the case but that's merely my uninformed opinion absent any further information about it.

[Joseph Cao]

Do you plan to choose a running mate?

Matter of fact, I have an announcement coming up about that—stay tuned!

[Joseph Cao]

Game Plan: On Activity and Fixing the Game

Good evening, folks. I know it has been beaten to a rhetorical pulp already but there is no more pressing matter than the activity crisis, or rather the activity crises, and I'd like to talk now on the subject of those crises and whether we can solve them.

It is overly simplistic to talk about an "activity crisis" with the implication that only one problem needs to be solved. There is, arguably, an AFE activity crisis and an AFG activity crisis separate from an overarching Fantasyland-wide activity crisis, each of which shows different features and requires different solutions. The AFE one is not new: people have argued for a long time that elections are not fun anymore and a general dissatisfaction with the elections part of the game has since set in. The AFG curse of inactive legislators is, to a certain extent, also not new, though it does not seem to have been as widespread in the past as it currently is.

What has blown the current situation out of hand is the overarching problem that AFE and AFG are simply not all that connected anymore: legislation is not perceived to matter, GM storylines are for the most part ignored (the Taiwan situation begun in May!), and broadly speaking whatever the outcome of these elections and discussion on AFE, whether the bills being considered in governments are Bipartisan™ or Controversial ones, the boards as a whole remain unaffected. That is not the case in an even minimally healthy game. The AFE board must affect the AFG board and vice versa, and the many more little feedback loops between legislators and voters, between parties on the AFE board, between the GM and the executive and legislative branches, between federal and regional branches, and between players themselves all help to make the game more active at the best of times. This is not the best of times.

I freely admit I do not have a magic bullet to solve systemic inactivity, nobody does. But misdiagnosing the situation, and simply coming to the conclusion that blowing everything up would be a good thing to do, leads only to ending the game in fire instead of ice.

So here are the main things I will consider, in approximately reverse order of importance to the overall health of the game:

• Legislators need to care about their legislation. This is not an indictment of any one person. That in itself is an indictment, however, because the legislature cannot function at its best if only a small proportion of its members show up to debate, much less come up with their own bills. Leave it to the writer of multiple such bills to defend the practice, but it does not matter if those bills are so Bipartisan™ that nobody debates them; we had plenty of those in years past. The Bipartisanship™ of our legislation is not the issue. The issue is the willingness of people to show up and actually do their jobs, and that is what is missing on a much larger scale than in the past. I obviously cannot direct legislative affairs from the executive position to the degree that I enjoy now, but the President can still be an active presence and encourage greater activity on the part of the legislatures. We have had (through absolutely no fault of their own) two presidents in a row who have not pursued that duty to the greatest degree possible. I can change that.
  
  
• Legislation needs to engage the general population. That wall between AFE and AFG needs to be breached and it has never needed that more than it does now. This is an area where the President does have the power to radically change things and get all those little feedback loops working again. I have given every question asked in the course of this campaign its due consideration; you can be sure that that will continue if I am elected. The executive must, after all, stay accountable. But getting the stuff on AFG to actually matter electorally and in the game at large can be massively helped not just by an active Game Moderator, an active Secretary of State, active Councils, and all that jazz, but furthermore by a GM's Office that can help highlight the relationship between the federal and regional levels of government and make AFG goings-on relevant to the elections and general discussion side of the game. Peanut, to his credit, made the Southern homeowners' bill the centerpiece of just such a storyline. I will encourage the GM to pursue storylines of this basic form, ones that can breach the gap between AFE and AFG and give substance to elections beyond their current state of popularity contests and numbers games and general complete and total divorce from anything that happens in government. This goes just the same for the SoS and Cabinet and the legislators themselves, of course, but the GM was and is the central clearinghouse for such things and it is always a help for everyone else to begin incorporating such considerations into their own work.
  
  
• The population needs to care. I cannot stress enough that the game as a whole fundamentally comes to nothing without an engaged AFE, and this is not simply a problem with zombie voters: when even experienced and active players are disappearing from the scene en masse, the result is an AFE that flares up maybe once in a blue moon when a region decides to secede for s[inks] and giggles. Now if (as seems to be partly the case) people have lost the energy even to blow off steam on Discord about the game, the problem will actually be intractable. But if you do care about the game, bring whatever you have to say onto the boards! Dave knows the discussion is desperately needed. I have said nothing about this month's elections anywhere on Discord that I have not also posted here on Atlas; it would be good for all presidential candidates to commit to the same pledge that Sestak made, to post on the boards rather than resort to offsite discussion, regardless of which of us ultimately wins.
  
  New players have always been floated as a solution, though it is concerning that even newer players by and large seem more jaded about the game than people who've been here longer. Again, new players are discouraged when they find that outside of voting (and often even during voting) nothing on AFE or AFG matters. As I've also tried myself within the Feds, we on all sides need to help them learn the ropes rather than just rely on them for votes—when new players arrive, which is seldom, and what people generally imply with the term is someone with the in-game skill of a 2017 dfw, which might as well be Godot for how often such a player arrives on the scene. There are no panaceas here. We can do what we can to make everything accessible, pass great or good or mediocre bills, dangle storylines and wars to engage people. All of that is essentially leading a horse to water, and you know what they say about horses to water.
  

The lesson to take from the widespread inactivity on AFE and AFG is not to decide that nothing matters anymore; it is to make things actually matter. There is only so much that one can do as President to change the state of the game. But I intend to follow this roadmap to the best of my ability, and if the first step to recovery is diagnosis and the second is change, I'm here to help everyone climb up the second step with me. That's part of what it means for everyone to have a place in Atlasia—and moreover for that place to matter.

[Joseph Cao]

Hello, everyone! I’m glad to come before you again this evening and talk further about what we’re hoping to bring to this nation in its highest office. Yes, that is a ”we”—I’ve taken pains to make sure potential running mates are committed to the prospect of serving Atlasia in an office where service and trust are absolutely paramount. And I’m happy to announce that Senator Old School Republican checks all those boxes and will join the ticket as our vice-presidential hopeful.

OSR is no stranger to tackling the problems that our nation’s citizens must overcome. He has served well in both the House and the current Senate with an eye towards keeping order in the policies that singlehandedly shape people’s lives throughout this nation. And he brings to the ticket an expertise in economic and foreign policy matters that reflect our commitment to strengthening Atlasia’s wellbeing both at home and abroad.

Above all, I have the utmost confidence that OSR’s time in this game testifies to the importance of everything this campaign has stood for so far. His history and personal growth as a player reflects what is best about the game when it challenges our thinking and our actions. In my time in the game I’ve worked well with him on several campaigns and in Congress, and I know we will have the capacity to lead an administration united in many different ways. In the difficult diplomatic needle we must thread abroad, with our friends and allies as well as those still opposed to us. In our domestic situation and the various issues that deserve the full attention of the executive branch. Most importantly, in helping the game get back on its feet and opening once more a place for everyone to enjoy themselves and have fun and maybe learn something, as we did, to the best of their ability.

Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Old School Republican, my running mate, and—with your support—hopefully the next Vice President of this great nation!

[Joseph Cao]

Kitchen Table Issues: On Our Economic Burdens

Evening, everyone – hello from my kitchen! From where I’m sitting at the table there’s a decent amount of room on it at the moment, and my table isn’t a big one or a fancy one; as a matter of fact it is the same table where I do my ironing. For most Atlasians that should sound familiar. And I’m here now talking to you all because that has to change, and there’s no better time for our economy to kick back into gear for everyone than coming out of a pandemic that has strained our lives to the maximum.

We in the Federalists have held at various points going back a very long time that the economy isn’t confined simply to the documents gathering dust on the CG’s desk. The average Atlasian’s perception of the economy will be affected by what the South decides to do about housing or whether Frémont sets up a new library initiative, and that should likewise be the attitude of the federal government; during my time in Congress, for example, I have taken pains to correspond our putative federal policy with that of the regions, and I fully intend to continue doing so. It is not just the usual federal/regional dynamic at play here, but the need for institutional stability that is required for a flourishing economy and flourishing livelihoods where our people are concerned.

It’s good to look beyond these constraints and consider the steps taken by most people to navigate this economy in their daily lives, the way the economy is experienced by most of our nation, then build a more comprehensive and attuned economic policy up from that. Kitchen table issues don’t begin in the kitchen for the most part; addressing them means quite literally thinking outside of that box.

So here is the framework I am working within, which lays out my broad priorities for a presidential term focused on finding workable solutions to the kitchen table issues facing all of us:

• Going on from where I began above, policies like our federal UBI help somewhat (even a great deal) for our struggling citizens, but at the end of the day it’s essentially giving you folks cash for a short period of time – we need to go deeper than that. Where I believe a longer-lasting solution can be found is in the same areas briefly touched on earlier, in providing a more permanent solution for the housing situation, healthcare, a navigable and effective education system, etc., with the dual purpose of getting Atlasians into a position to grab opportunities and ensuring the conditions necessary for such opportunities to come about. I want to use the position to fix things. That necessarily means coming at the problem from as lasting a solution as possible while continuing to adopt those short-term measures necessary to lift up those in need of help.
  
  
• Yes, your health is bound up in that. Atlascare is many things but it is not infallible, nor is it a substitute for good solid common sense. As I mentioned during the presidential debate, I view a focus on refining the procedures taken when implementing our current coverage system as a necessary path forward to ensuring that everyone in this nation gets the treatment and consultation they deserve. That focus is certainly not limited to Atlascare. At the federal level there are plenty of holes in medical procedures, edge cases and other things that Atlascare only tangentially touches on, where every hole plugged still results in many lives saved. My DNR bill was one such example. Regional efforts like the Lincoln farm bill and the Frémont produce bill also promote activities and services that will directly affect public health in a positive way; those are the kinds of alternative angles to approach the problem which I’m thinking of.
  
  
• And all those important goods bound for your kitchen table are not going to make it there if the car or motorcycle or delivery van hits a pothole on the way to your door. Infrastructure matters. We’ve had legislative follow-ups to important first steps fail to materialize one too many times – and a follow-up is desperately needed to the groundwork most recently laid by Spark, and many others before him, regarding the all-important funding for maintenance of our critical infrastructure. Pushing for a workable framework that addresses this issue will be a critical part of our presidential infrastructure, if you will. The same goes for the oft-ignored digital infrastructure which generally only comes into prominence when some server in California goes up in smoke. It is an equally important and ever-growing share of our national infrastructure and I’m proud to have provided the most comprehensive policy yet toward its upkeep and security.

These kitchen-table issues are simple yet necessary fixes that must be addressed sooner or later. If I may be permitted to mangle the metaphor one more time, not everyone has the room to buy a bigger table or the margin to spare on the daily necessities they need, but making those necessities just a bit more worth their value – helping them get to the table – making that table sturdier, more versatile, better able to do its job – all that shows a path forward for the people of this nation, everyone with a place in Atlasia, who may yet be surprised at how much can be done with the framework we have.

[Joseph Cao]

[One trip to AFG later.]

By the way, y’all – setting aside the merits of what little case was presented – this all seems like the opposite of shooting the messenger, if that is possible. There was basically no actual presentation of the case the first time around. This is not a knock on Tack or anyone else, activity is a severe problem all around, as evidenced by the obvious struggle it took just to supply all of prosecution, defense, and jury.

I’m not privy to any special information. Still, the sheer inactivity gumming up the works for Tack and the Court and everyone involved with the case is frankly enough to explain the outcome of the original case, no need to bring nefariousness into it. Hanlon’s razor, etc. As for the current case I think all that can be said about it is the fact that this firework show is currently taking place in a court thread, rather than the discussion thread, speaks for itself.

[Joseph Cao]

Make Art Great Again: On the Creative Process

This was not exactly a subject I expected to be speaking about to you all. But well – 

Over the past year I’ve had the privilege of getting to know people and their communities all around Atlasia, what they have to offer, how they overcame the challenges that COVID posed. With very few exceptions, many of these communities turned to the arts as a respite. Whether forced into a virtual format, or returning steadily as pandemic restrictions rolled back, we’ve seen a little renaissance of sorts driven by ordinary Atlasians who want to experience an area of humanity that nevertheless knows no limitations.

The arts and the outlet they provide have done wonders for our nation’s people this past year and demonstrated how much they’re needed. But it’s merely the most recent chapter in our nation’s centuries of experience with human creativity. From the Chicago Bean to the murals of Atlanta and Birmingham to Bennington, VT’s lovely Grandma Moses Gallery, Atlasia knows the value of its arts. It knows the value of its creativity. And the AFE board does best when we players put that creativity on display and do each other a national service. Newspapers, polling, stories, memes – you name it; each is just as much a part of the Atlasian creative tapestry as the Library of Congress or the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

My friend and fellow presidential candidate, fellow former congressman, fellow House Speaker, fellow Senator, fellow Aries, etc. etc. MB had the inspired idea last year to create an official Poet Laureate position. I liked the position. We could do with more where that came from, and I don’t just mean bugging HCP, who in any case is an incredibly busy man. What I’d like to propose as President is a specially designated week or month dedicated to celebrating the creative arts in an official capacity, during which interested parties would be welcome – no, encouraged – to get their creative juices flowing in service of the nation. And what I’d like to propose right now for your consideration, in my capacity as a simple private citizen, is to ignore those bounds whether they’re set or not and be your best creative selves year-round.

Gutter politics has understandably turned people off of the game, but the game is so much more than politics. Fantasyland is down, but not out; its potential can still be made use of on the creative, non-officeholding, non-electoral side of things. What better times could there be for putting that into action? Start a focus group; start a newspaper; start a serious or memey timeline; catch a ride to wherever the limits of artistry take you! (Though obviously excessive party-switching, even for the memes, and overworking Peebs is taking it a tad bit too far.)

Art is liberating. We’ve arguably never needed liberating more than we do now. If people feel confined by the current state of the game, the nice thing about Fantasyland is that outside of the electoral considerations and the legal bounds of government (and obviously forum TOS) there are no rules for how to play. We can make these boards, as the kids say, a happening place once more. A place capable of celebrating the best parts of this nation and of ourselves. A place for everyone.

[Joseph Cao]

Appropriately Sized Sticks: On Our Foreign Policy

Hello again, folks. In view of the GM's confirmation and the hopeful resumption of a foreign policy engine firing on all cylinders,  I think it is appropriate I let you all know my thoughts on the matter.

There’s no other area where the President has the opportunity to direct the conversation, or be the face of an entire nation, to the same extent as in the foreign policy sphere. With an active SoS and several storylines about to be picked up (both of which should, with luck, be sustained), this coming term will be possibly the most consequential one foreign policy-wise since the Second Korean War. As with that conflict (but hopefully with more peaceful outcomes this time), there is an opportunity once more for renewed activity revolving around discussion, legislative work relating to these stories, and the like that I certainly will do my part to advance. It is my intention, as I am sure it is for Scott and everyone else, to ensure we chart the best possible course for Atlasian involvement on the world stage during this time.

I have had the good fortune to work on charting a sensible and principled foreign policy with many folks, including then-Senator Blair and now-SoS Transit, and that reminds me to tell you all that, technically, I glossed over something in my opening just now. Foreign policy is an active and continuously moving, changing dynamic that is always better approached as part of a team effort. That is what the President will have to do with the GM, the SoS, the NSC, and Congress. And my experience with crafting and debating some of the past year’s preeminent foreign-policy moves, could not have been accomplished without working alongside members of every party. It will be of the utmost importance to have a mutual trust with regard to balancing idealism and pragmatism, preserving our long-term power, using our voice and backing it up, and how that translates to FP action.

Throughout this legislative work I have held continuously in mind our unique place on the world stage and our obligation, as it were, to continue to advocate for human rights, democratic ideals, and religious and civic freedoms in all their forms. Yet it will be incumbent upon us all, but especially the drivers of our foreign policy, to temper that with humility on the world stage.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but the following are parts of our foreign-policy outlook I intend to pursue in a major capacity:

• Obviously, the China and Taiwan situation is developing into the crisis of our time – of the past year or two at any rate – and I have made my thoughts clear on these threats to the safety of what in another reality would be my former neck of the woods. Our first priority here must be a defusing of the incredibly tense situation, we will pursue all diplomatic means available, but we must make it incredibly clear to China while we do so that it has no business escalating things in this fashion. We do not want the Taiwanese people to become the latest victims of China's alarmingly violent attempts at expansionism by force. We will strive toward peace for nations and for people wherever possible – for the upholding and fulfilment of democratic principles, and against any attempts to undermine them.
  
  
• I am eager to pursue a more concrete policy toward two of our generally overlooked corners of the world. Firstly, the Myanmar coup is the most prominent of an underreported (in-game, anyway) epidemic of creeping illiberalism and democratic retreat across Southeast Asia. I will, for obvious reasons, be extremely interested in further updates on the region, particularly the state of the insurgency in Myanmar and the stability or lack thereof of the Philippine, Laotian, and Thai governments. We have a vested interest in continuing our outreach to this region, one of the largest and most diverse in the world in all senses of the word, in any way possible. I will certainly explore possible such avenues as President. Latin America at large, but especially Peru, El Salvador, and Colombia, also deserves our additional attention and concern. All three of these countries are at severe risk or are in the process of democratic backsliding – these will be important points of focus for any future GM action. Given the large populations that they represent and the obvious repercussions for ordinary people in these regions, we are always welcoming of further information on their political situations.
  
  
• Our balancing acts and monitoring in various ongoing situations must of course continue. Paflagonia has gone through some spectacular civil unrest and now faces the difficult task of resuming a democratic order for the first time in over six years. We’ll do what we can to support a return to stability in that nation and certainly welcome all diplomatic channels toward cooperation in these areas, as we will likewise with our allies and their domestic situations. Small-scale conflicts such as those in Eritrea and Azerbaijan will need resolution and I look forward to seeing the GM's actions on these. As for the elephant in the room, it of course bears reminding that we still need to tread carefully in the Arab world, certainly armed with some extra carrots to make up for our challenges to several nations on human rights and the like – which I still stand by, by the way. Israel’s continued political musical chairs should not mask their continued importance in the ongoing peace talks and our continued need to reach out to both sides. But it is, if anything, the least dangerous part of our relationship with the overall region.
  

We have a great opportunity here to demonstrate anew the potential for Atlasia to exert a much-needed diplomatic weight for all the values that we hold dear. As with the rest of our foreign-policy team, should I have the honor of becoming Commander-in-Chief I will most certainly play my part in demonstrating to the world the necessity of an Atlasian international outlook that cherishes, above all else, a place for everyone under the banners of human rights and democracy and a pragmatic stance on how to do that to the fullest and best possible extent.

[Joseph Cao]

Save the _______: On the Environment

In my time serving this great nation I've found no better way to ground myself and take up the people's burdens in Nyman than to visit people directly, listen to their stories and needs directly, and get to know what makes our communities tick. I spend most of my extended periods away from our nation's capital on this other half of the representative's duty (yes, that representation continues to be paramount in my mind; I was a man of the People's House before anything else).

There certainly is no better way to get a sense of just how expansive Atlasia's natural wonders are and the integral part they often play in shaping communities. Of course, that is a truism, but the story of Atlasians' relationship with their environment has been as much about their mastery over it (in every sense of the word) as their efforts to preserve it, both of which have been driven by varying concerns. And so the federal government has likewise done, first in its expansion and then the conservation picked up by T.R. and his successors. It needs no reiterating that our legislators and executives here in Nyman have maintained a consensus on the need for a muscular climate and environmental policy, though a lot has been exchanged in the past over how best to do it. I think it is good that those exchanges continue; climate is the one area where vigorous ongoing discussion is badly needed.

Much of the mastery has been long over at a local level, but higher levels of government have finally noticed that in recent decades and begun to act on it. In community after community, from Oneida to Logansport and from North Hero to Two Rivers, I've seen a relief at the widespread recognition of local emphases on clean energy, renewables, jobs based around natural restoration and upkeep, and of course the burgeoning culture of awareness toward local environmental issues. It has spurred a great general move toward closer cooperation between local government and the higher levels, in the precise bottom-up fashion we in the Federalist Party love to harp on about. For good reason: because it is the best form of environmental change so far as our citizens and their communities are concerned, and it gives them the openings they need to adapt after their own fashion and with all the appropriate care for those affected.

I have worked both in and out of my congressional docket to pursue this continuing necessity, in bills sponsored establishing greater regional and local cooperation on the environment as well as my vocal support for regional and local initiatives doing the same. As President there are several elements of this cooperation that I would emphasize and welcome bills from Congress on the subject: greater research into our ecosystems, which never gets the attention or funding it deserves; preserving our biodiversity, both fauna and flora, in the face of both natural and human threats to them; creating jobs in these areas with their local input that will continue to sustain these economies and give them another shot in the arm as we emerge from a pandemic that has no doubt increased our regard for the natural beauty we possess.

Of course, the flip side of that is the continued defense against the increasingly devastating natural disasters and creeping effects of the planet's warming. I have talked about local efforts toward these issues several times, particularly in the South where the effects of hurricanes, water shortages, cold snaps, and the like are felt in abundance. Alongside the federal government's continued situational monitoring and assistance to regional authorities when these disasters occur, there will need to be an investment into climate-specific infrastructural upkeep for dams, bridges and the like that are regularly threatened by their effects.

Internationally there is much that relates to the environment which the President will need to consider. Cooperation with other nations and with the international bodies over the same shared aims of preserving biodiversity, international aid for climate disasters and displacements, etc. must continue to be pursued. On the broad (literally relevant worldwide) issues of tackling global climate change, long-term plans for energy solutions, fixing global supply chains and averting if at all possible widespread food shortages, and the like, it is absolutely necessary that Atlasia's face on the world stage takes as many steps as necessary to get international cooperation toward finding solutions for the entire planet. Our climate pledges should be upheld even as we find ways to help other nations stick to their own pledges or make more stringent ones.

The environmental and climate issue has many, many dimensions. It is not obvious to me that one-size-fits-all solutions focusing solely on one body and one dimension ought to be our last word on the subject, and as President I assure you all that each and every possible avenue, at local and regional levels, at federal levels, and at international levels, will receive the appropriate thought and care. We are going to do our best to give a place at the table for all those who will be affected, whether positively or negatively, in Atlasia or abroad, and we are going to do it post-haste. I may be relatively green compared to others in this game, but that is a promise I feel confident making. That's how important it is.

[Joseph Cao]

We're here at Election Weekend now, and I want to begin by thanking everyone who's placed their trust in me with their support. Win or lose we're not going to let you down; the nation's climb out of our present crises is too important to jeopardize.

Throughout the campaign we have promoted a plan mapping out a return to a functioning game. I've talked about lightening the load for people dealing with kitchen-table issues. I've mentioned an artistic renewal that will help our national scene return to its creative roots. And our campaign has addressed China and other flashpoints on the world stage and how to tackle them and promote a positive foreign policy vision, as well as an environmental plan engaging all levels of government and the people it affects.

A grab-bag, to be sure. But I believe first and foremost in providing a P.L.A.C.E. for all in this nation, and in the course of our campaign we have done just that. We will listen to the concerns you raise as they come and address them as best we can, because we believe each of your places in this nation matter. We will pursue this goal with everything we've got, and we want you to help us.

So go out and vote, folks, and check the Cao/Old School Republican box for a more active game, for an administration that will get the diagnoses right and pursue the right remedies for our national ailments, and for a President and Vice President who will take our country and all its people forward!

[Joseph Cao]

[Bloomington–Normal, Illinois]

Well, thank you everyone. Thanks for tuning in this late.

It's been a great race, and as I said in private I congratulate Scott and Battista and wish them all the best as they step up to the nation's highest offices. A thank you must go to OSR for the hard work he put into our ticket's operation, and to Yankee and the rest in the party and out of it who offered their advice and help throughout. Most especially, thank you sincerely to the voters who came out this election whether you supported me or not—for the questions asked, the issues heard and all the rest of it. Atlasia wouldn't run at all without you.

And as far as that goes this election has shown very clearly that that needs to be worked on. In that sense, the journey that we begun last month does not end here. I still believe in an Atlasia where there is a place for everyone to be born and grow up and thrive and take their journeys alongside others who prize the good government and local issues that allow Atlasia to thrive in its turn, long into the future, regardless of environmental change or lean times. I'm going to work my hardest to take this nation toward that reality. In the Senate alongside all parties, in this beautiful party of ours, and in the hard job of reinvigorating AFE and AFG generally, I'll be there to push us toward this goal.

That’s my place as of now. It’s my hope that it will be a starting point for us all as we join in the difficult work and face the challenges ahead of us; as we hang together to escape hanging separately. The work is not done. We will go on, and we will see an Atlasia where that place for everyone becomes a reality. As I join you on that journey I thank you all, once again, from the bottom of my heart, for everything. You're the best.

Dave bless you all, and Dave bless this great nation of ours as we embark on that journey. Good night.