[Analysis] Europeian Midterm Senate Satisfaction Poll - April 2022






Europeian Midterm Senate Satisfaction Poll
By PhDre
Edited by Seva, Istillian



Introduction

The Europeian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) conducted a poll asking Europeians about their satisfaction with the performance of the Senate at the midway point of the term. The EBC received 23 responses. In addition to standard questions, the EBC also queried the citizenry regarding the upcoming By-Election triggered by the elevation of Senator Sincluda to the Vice Presidency.

Overall Satisfaction - 48%
Forms response chart. Question title: How satisfied are you with the performance of the Senate?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

Europeans appear moderately pleased with the Senate term thus far, with the plurality of respondents (39%) marking themselves as “satisfied.” A significant portion of the electorate (35%) was neutral, and only 13% of the electorate considered themselves either “very dissatisfied” or “very satisfied.” Respondents who left comments were more vocal about the low activity level of the senate, with one saying the Senate was “okay luster.”
It hasn’t been an overly active Senate but it also hasn’t needed to be. Could more have been done on oversight or to dig into some potential problems with the previous administration? Maybe … but it also was not an administration that was open to criticism or oversight so the cost would have been any relationship at all between the Senate and the Executive and the problems probably weren’t serious enough to be worth it. So … the Senate has done fine.

Extremely inactive and likely should have been recalled by now.

Seemed to be taking its time on the things it needs to (FOIA stuff), but that feels like the only really important thing going on atm. (At least that I'm keeping up with.)

Could be more active, like its not worrying but itd be more fun to see

Fairly inactive. You can tell when FOIA is taking up regional attention that there isn't much demand for anything else.

Some Senators are shining more than others, but there's still a just okay luster to this Senate. It's getting things done, mostly.

I would like more oversight

Individual Senator Satisfaction

Speaker Olde Delaware - 48%

Forms response chart. Question title: How satisfied are you with the performance of Senate Speaker Olde Delaware?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

Speaker Olde Delaware was a polarizing figure, as only 13% of respondents had a Neutral opinion of the Speaker’s performance. The Speaker was the only Senator without any “Very Satisfied” responses but managed to pull a +9% net positive approval rating. Clearly, the Senate was somewhat polarizing, with supporters pointing to his methodological questioning, while opponents questioned his aggressiveness during various nominations.
Handles most things well.

sometimes outstanding, sometimes pretty bad

He has been perfectly fine with the nuts and bolts of the job and has remained willing to ask questions even when the previous President and some nominees have acted like the questions were bizarre (they weren’t). I have no concerns with his performance.

Seems to take things personal. Kind of aggressive in things. Holding up confirmation threads. He posted in discord when monkey was mentioned "not gonna lie, this confirmation may be tough"Is that personal, it definitely came off as personal.

OD has done a fine job, but I think he's been very combative toward Gem and Monkey. Oversight is fine, but I think he ought to dial it back a bit.
He is needlessly aggressive and frequently grandstands when dealing with the executive, he is one of the least active Senators, and it still appears that he has not read the Senate Protocol Act with him yet again attempting to move something to vote before he can. He was clearly unqualified for the role of Speaker at the start of term, and unfortunately it does not appear that he has grown into the role.

Where to start...going back to the start of the term, he's seemed to prefer an aggressive approach with people during confirmation hearings (Kaz, Monkey) and leaned into his role as if it's something to be performed. Which is all fine and good except he also doesn't seem to understand the basics of his job even this many weeks in? I've seen Malashaan step in a few times this term to tell OD and some of the other Senators to pump the breaks on things because they are violating Senate protocols, for example. And it's one thing to learn as you're going, but don't advertise it to EuroChat every day that you don't know what the heck you're doing. I think it was Pichto too who pointed out recently that there are a lot of issues being settled behind closed doors, which is a larger Euro problem but shouldn't be encouraged. If this was 2009, he'd be an excellent speaker. But this is 2022.

Has a tendency to do awkward things like fumble the vote start or ask unrelated questions or whatever. Still glad he got the chance to be Speaker. Maybe use more timers or something? You can do it OD

Seems eager, but sometimes overaggressive towards nominees. Otherwise no issues.

Senator Gem - 34%
Forms response chart. Question title: How satisfied are you with the performance of Senator Gem?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

Senator Gem was the only member to poll lower than Speaker Olde Delaware, and suffered from a positive net 0% approval rating. Respondents felt the Senator has been inactive this term, and a full 30% of respondents were Neutral in their opinion of his performance.

Inactive. He has posted little in the Senate and has not written up any draft legislation for the Protected Areas Amendment despite saying he would take up the lead over 10 days ago.

"I have no firm opinion either way."

Pretty absent.

A bit surprised truth be told! I expected Gem to bring his bad "know it all" / "loves to argue things do death just to argue" approach from Discord to the Senate, but I haven't seen that as much in the Senate.

Senator Malashaan - 78.2%
Forms response chart. Question title: How satisfied are you with the performance of Senator Malashaan?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

Malashaan topped the Senator rankings with a 65% net approval rating, as almost all respondents had an opinion of the Senatorial titan, with a full 22% of respondents saying they were “Very Satisfied” with his performance. His activity as well as the quality of his work were cited by respondents, with one describing him as “the adult wrangling the children.” Certainly, the veteran Senator has the most experience among those currently serving, which may have distinguished him.
Very good as always when present but my perception is his heart isn’t always in it. That may be unfair, and if so I apologize to him.

He is easily the most active Senator and has contributed the most to discussions and draft and passed legislation. He isn't amazingly active but really one of the few saving graces of this Senate.

Another excellent term!

Out of touch at times, but good

Perhaps my expectations are unfairly high, but not much output from Malashaan this term

Really helpful this term.

The adult wrangling the children. Doing that role admirably while still contributing in discussions, giving valuable input, and so forth.

Senator Cove - 74%
Forms response chart. Question title: How satisfied are you with the performance of Senator Cove?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

Senator Cove topped the “Very Satisfied” charts, and comes in just below Malashaan with a 61% positive net approval rating. The citizenry indicated that they were Speaker material, with others pointing out that their activity relative to their colleagues was high, but that the bar for activity was low this term. The Senator’s very high approval ratings, with only 13% of respondents being Neutral on performance, suggests a very strong position for Cove moving into the second half of the term.
Has contributed to some discussions and is at least a little more active than their colleagues, although in this Senate that isn't saying much.

Perhaps the most understated Senator of the bunch but doing a very good job regardless.

Very good, proactive. Could see Cove as Speaker next term if he continues like this

Always asking the right questions.

Senate conducted Executive Oversight - 34.7%
Forms response chart. Question title: Are you satisfied with how the Senate conducted Executive Oversight?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

Respondents were quite cool on the Senate-led Executive Oversight, with only a positive 8.6% approval rating. Citizens felt that the Senate didn’t conduct much oversight at all, an opinion supported by the lack of attention to the Oversight Threads in the Swakistek Conference Hall. Candidates in the April 22 By-Election promise stronger oversight, perhaps sensing the electorate’s desire for a Senate that is willing to use the tools available to probe the Executive publicly.
This might be the best term yet for oversight.

Either we get overly aggressive questioning from OD or virtually nothing else from the other Senators.

The only reason we talk about oversight so much is because some people think it makes the region more "competitive" and others like creating conflicts. Bad dynamic, let's just drop it.

Has seemed a bit overly combative at times, especially with the WA Office, but fine otherwise.

Could be more but no big deal

Very little work done here.

it hasn't, much

Has there been any oversight...?

What oversight?

Senate handling of WL/Sincluda Cabinet Nomination - 56.5 %

Forms response chart. Question title: Are you satisfied with how the Senate handled Writinglegend/Sincluda's Cabinet nominations?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

Poll respondents were generally positive on the Cabinet nomination process, with a majority supporting the manner in which the Senate conducted itself. Some light sparring in the nomination threads for Attorney General and Government Accountability Office was met with initial criticism, but all nominations were approved by the Senate eventually.
Wasn’t blown away by most of these picks but there weren’t any huge red flags for me either, and Kura returning as GA makes complete sense.

Same as previous comment. [Either we get overly aggressive questioning from OD or virtually nothing else from the other Senators.]

It's nice to see Malashaan asking the tough questions. I personally think the Senate has been relatively combative with Monkey and Gem though.

Pretty good

Overall satisfied. I think there was a slight hang-up with the odd Monkey hearing, where the Speaker seemed to have a small axe to grind? And there's some confusion - admittedly I'm confused too! - over who is supposed to request Cabinet maskings once people are confirmed. Tradition says it's the Speaker? But I don't really think that's been the case...

Seeing OD accuse Monkey of being hostile when monkey was just answering questions?

Senate handling of FOIA Reform - 13%
Forms response chart. Question title: Are you satisfied with how the Senate is handling FOIA reform?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

The Senate, after initial promises to tackle FOIA Reform, has barely moved on a major campaign plank of the Senate Speaker. Fully 48% of respondents disapprove of the Senate’s handling of FOIA Reform, putting the current Senate at a significantly negative 35% net approval. Such strong opposition to the current handling of FOIA Reform appears to come in two camps - one of which argues that FOIA reform is unneeded at all and is just busywork, whereas others argue that not enough is being done, and the Senate should move forward at a brisker pace. Which of these two camps is more in tune with the pulse of the region is unclear as of this date, but clearly the Senate’s handling is very unpopular.
What's the point of FOIA besides just OD getting a pet project checked off the list?

they should really look at McEntire's inspector general proposal

Sorry OD … I wish this bill would go away.

Taking their time on a very sensitive subject. Bravo.

I oppose a FOIA but it is at least a good discussion for the region to have. But there's been no discussion on it in almost a month and the originally discussion didn't go very far.

There's no goddamn point to this legislation except Europeians just wanting tea, and any reforms will run into the same obstacles we hit every time we try to ask the DEIA literally any questions during reconfirmation hearings. Brick wall. Waste of everyone's time.

no clear plan, not sure it's needed at all

I'd like to see something actually passed, there has to be a compromise

Needs more discussion

It felt like candidates needed something on their platform. No reasonable ideas or legislation have been formulated.

By-Election
Forms response chart. Question title: Who are you intending to vote for in the April 22nd Senate By-election?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

Candidate Hezekon appears to be in the early lead against McEntire, 43%-30%. McEntire should not despair, as a full 26% of respondents are undecided at this time. With the By-Election opening on April 22, both candidates will need to be getting out the vote to ensure their voters appear on Election Day. Both candidates have significant endorsements, with Kuramia coming out in favor of Hezekon, while McEntire has gained the support of Sopo and Common-Sense Politics.

Next Term
Forms response chart. Question title: Which Senators should return?. Number of responses: 23 responses.

Respondents were asked which current Senators they would like to see return to the Senate next term. Note that in this poll question, respondents must select at least one Senator, so this may overestimate support for any or all incumbent Senators.

To no one’s surprise, Malashaan and Cove, who led the way in Senate Satisfaction polling, are hitting 61% return rates. The net positives for both Senators as well as the electorate’s interest in seeing them back in the Senate suggests comparatively strong terms from both.

Meanwhile, Speaker Olde Delaware and Senator Gem struggle, with both picking up less than 35% support from the electorate for a return to the Senate chambers. This is perhaps more surprising for Olde Delaware, who is sitting at a net positive approval rating.

Greater Cesnica

Cove, UPC, PA, Lloen, Calvin, Monkey

Lloenflys, Darkslayer, Pichtonia, Drecq, Hezekon, Pland Adanna

I have no real preferences for new people, let's see their platforms before I decide if it's a good idea they ran or not.

Sanj, Lime, Hez, Sarah

Lloenflys, Hezekon, HEM, Darkslayer, Pichtonia

Lloenflys, Pichtonia, Darkslayer

everyone else

More newbies, and PhDre

Conclusion

With a By-Election only a day away, the EBC Senate Mid-Term poll gives us a look into the state of the race, and a first glance at the sprint to the 84th Senate election. Early favorites to return to the Senate are Malashaan and Cove, who see strong approval ratings. Olde Delaware and Gem lag behind - notably, both had FOIA and accountability as a campaign plank, an issue which poll respondents viewed quite negatively. Perhaps the second half of the term will see compromise on FOIA reform and an increase in their stock. Alternatively, low activity cited by respondents could continue and drive down sentiment towards the 83rd Senate.
 
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Lmao I have a nasty habit of only getting around to things after polling closes. :p

notably, both had FOIA and accountability as a campaign plank
This part's just not true btw. I expressed that Freedom of Information could be worth pursuing, but not in its current form (which at the time was based around a set time after which documents would be declassified), and accountability didn't appear at all. Nothing.
 
I'm not certain if it's just me, but the pictures seem not to be inserted correctly. I am saddened by this.
 
I'll be honest, I told PhDre and I know I said it in Eurochat I was expecting a 0% approval and many, many "OD sucks" comments. I am really happy that isn't the case. I never expected to find myself in this role, I was sure Mal would be speaker and I'd get to learn at the feet of the master but I am happy that I got this chance and while I've had some stumbles, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Just wanted to say a few things real quick

I've been trying to write the FOIA amendment up. I work on it at work and try to come up with ideas to make it work. I think McEntire has the right way forward so I am hoping win or lose to use his counsel to get this done. It may be a 'pet project' but many laws and amendments were also someone's pet projects and they have had an immeasurable impact on our region and community.

Activity wise, I am here. I try to stay involved and as my colleagues in the Senate can attest, I think I ping them 3x a day to see if they need help or if there is anything I can do, be a sounding board, etc. I know the rest of the region doesn't see that but I am trying to keep activity up. Mal and Lloen have been great helps and fonts of advice and suggestions.

The comments on aggressiveness hurt me a bit because I am not sure what else I can do. I run my comments through other people before I post them to make sure they are coming off okay because I recognize I have this problem and yet some folks still feel I am coming off as aggressive. As far as I know, I have no personal issues with Monkey or Gem, there was miscommunication on Monkey's experience for the role of GAO Director which we got sorted out pretty quick and there was concern from Gem over past performance but I wouldn't call them personal issues.

Lastly, and this part means the world to me. Since I've become speaker I've had people who I was 100% sure either hated my guts or just did not like me DM me and tell me how proud they are of me, offer advice and just be really kind while I work through this role. I am not a Drecq or a GraV or a Sky, I am and can only be me. I am really giving this role all I can and I know I've had missteps, but I am trying my very best. I really appreciate those kind words and sometimes they make me cry. Because I know how trashy and toxic of a person I was. The fact some of you think I have grown and changed as person enough to tell me and encourage me makes me proud and honored.

I hope this doesn't come off as aggressive or grandstandy, It was just on my mind.
 
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