Halftime Coverage of the Senate Elections

HEM

HEM

former
Jorts Connoisseur
Honoured Citizen
Citizen
Pronouns
he / him / his
E-News Network - Halftime Coverage of the Senate Elections

HEM Tiberius: "Ladies and Gentlemen from Europeia and around the world, this is ENN's halftime coverage of the Senate Elections. I'm HEM Tiberius."

Paul Krugman: "I'm Professor Paul Krugman"

John Major: "I'm former UK Prime Minister John Major."

Anderson Cooper: "And in for Jay Leno this evening, I'm CNN's Anderson Cooper."

HEM Tiberius: "Starting our coverage tonight, we have one projection to make":

Anumia
​

"We at ENN are ready to project that former President Anumia has reclaimed a seat in the Europeian Senate. Anumia has a long history in this body, and his re-election is no surprise to most of the region."


Paul Krugman: "Many people will be surprised that after 12 hours of voting, ENN is ready to call only one single race, how do you explain that HEM?"

HEM Tiberius: "This election is very close. Excluding the two lower tier candidates, only three votes separate Imperium -- currently in the 8th position -- from the group of candidates leading behind Anumia. Anything could happen still, and ENN is determined to get everything right."

John Major: "This -- in many ways -- is the close Presidential race we never had. The rest of the candidates are neck-in-neck, and while Zenny and Dreqc have kept a lead over Imperium in the last few hours, their victory -- along with everyone else's' -- is far from certain.

Anderson Cooper: "The question on everyone's mind has to be: who is left to vote and what are they thinking? I think the big surprise of the evening so far is the performance of Senate Speaker Drecq, who trails the field and is currently warding off a challenge to his seat by Imperium. Why is Drecq underperforming?"

Paul Krugman: "A very interesting question, and I think people will be talking about this after the election. Does the region want to see new faces, and are they tired of Drecq? Or are people just taking the fact he will get re-elected for granted, and giving their votes to the seemingly competitive candidates -- Zenny, Imperium, and PASD? I'm not sure..."

HEM Tiberius: "We will have more analysis, debate, and coverage once we return."
 
HEM Tiberius: "And we are back with Comm Minister and outgoing Senator, Raging Zen Master! Welcome to the show RZM!"

Raging Zen Master: "Thanks for having me, a pleasure to be here."

HEM Tiberius: "What about the results tonight do you find the most surprising?"

Raging Zen Master: "I am particularly surprised with how close the race is for the last seat tonight, given the amount of experience and leadership shown by the contestants, Imperium’s dark horse race has been impressive, surprising, and fascinating to observe."

HEM: "Based on your gut, who do you think we snag the 7th seat?"

Raging Zen Master: "Last I checked before this interview, Drecq and Zenny are tied for 6th seat. I expect both of them to be able to secure a position in the Senate by way of their experience and standing in the community as Ministers and well known members through their various initiatives. Both are quite fortunate that Imperium is a relative newcomer to the race, and I am sure that with his continued involvement within the Euro community will translate to high prospects for his political future."

HEM: "Now, you yourself were once a candidate for re-election. You stated publicly that your new position in the Cabinet was responsible for your pulling out, but others have suggested that some poll numbers may have spooked you off. Do their opinions hold any water?"

Raging Zen Master: "Ah, I never *technically* pulled out from the election, merely suspended my bid for it as confirmation proceeded. As part of that I felt it appropriate to focus on the work at hand to be confirmed with the responsibility for retooling and reviving an inactive Ministry, rather than seek election for another term on the Senate.

While folks are free to suggest what they like, there was already precedent set by Common-Sense Politics to do the same when he suspended his bid for Senatorship in lieu of being nominated as GA.

When a Ministry is in need of revival, I believe it to be prudent to focus on the immediate task at hand. I am sure that from the perspective of some, my actions could be suspect, but I am confident that with the help of the excellent staff at EuroComm we can get it off life support, and put such concerns to rest. I will say that had nomination for such a position occurred earlier in the Senate term, I would have committed to resigning from the Senate to undertake the same work asked of me by the President."

HEM: "What issues do you think will be most important next term?"

Raging Zen Master: " expect to see a smorgasbord of issues being raised. A number of prospective Senate candidates raised issues and so I expect them to raise their respective platforms in a lively debate. Perhaps a quintcameral legislature resolution? :ph43r: Ultimately though, all of that will depend on the new group's ability to propose their ideas in a way that does not directly undermine the agenda of their fellow Senators. It shall be very interesting to watch, and that is before even counting any resolution lobbed their way from the Citizen's Assembly."

HEM: "Lastly, what advise would you have for new members?"

Raging Zen Master: "I'd advise the new members that while there may be some pressure to look busy and active, remember that the Senate exists to serve the interests of Europeia as a whole. It might be tempting to push forward an agenda here or there, but I advise them to always look at the big picture and look towards the ramifications any proposals they have will be, whether on the legislative, executive, or judicial side of things.

That as a publicly elected official it is their duty to uphold the trust given to them by the electorate to adhere to their promises, and to be responsive. To that end, I hope they pursue a course of action that will forge positive working relationships with others holding responsibility in Europeia."
 
Anderson Cooper: "It is now the top of the hour at 1:00am Eastern Standard Time, and ENN has some projections to make:

HEM
​

"We at ENN are now ready to project that HEM will return to the Senate for the first time since 2012. The region's founder served at the forefront of the region's politics until the last few years when he has taken a major step back. This election he stressed his desire to return to service, and the voters seem to want him to have his chance to serve in the Senate."

PhDre
​

"We are also ready to project that former President PhDre will be elected to the Senate. PhDre initially doubted his own chances, going as far to say that he expected to lose. How the tables have turned on the outgoing Citizens' Assembly Chair and Media Monger. PhDre will be taking a place in Europeia's next Senate."


John Major: "It is remarkable that with only eight hours left of voting, only three seats in the Senate have been called. This is a remarkably close race."

Anderson Cooper: "That it is John, as Zenny Anumia and Imperium are now tied for the coveted 7th seat. Drecq holds the 6th seat with only one vote ahead of them, with PASD and Modern Sin holding the 5th and 4th seats."

Paul Krugman: "Look, we haven't projected it, but PASD and Modern Sin can probably breath easily now. Their election isn't surefire, but its fairly close. It looks like it is going to be a real nailbitter for those last two seats though. I suspect -- as many do -- that Drecq should snag the 6th seat. That would be the conventional wisdom. But this election has not been terribly conventional."

HEM Tiberius: "Are we going to start talking about run-off elections?"

Anderson Cooper: "Yeah, I think it would be unsurprising to see two -- or even three -- people face off in a second round of voting. If it is only two people, I say Zenny wins on name recognition. If it is three, Drecq certainly wins one seat, and....I dunno...maybe Zenny the second?"

John Major: "It has been a long time since we had a competitive Senate race [laughs]"

Paul Krugman: "What about the losers tonight?"

HEM Tiberius: "Well we know two of them. Apollo and Matthew Vinage will not be returning to the Senate."

John Major: "Matthew Vinage has done a tad better than Apollo -- perhaps because he bothered to post a platform -- but he has been outside the political mainstream, and his manifesto didn't have a real 'wow' factor. Apollo did not do any noticeable campaigning at all -- though there is a rumor circulating that he logged on earlier today to cast a single vote exclusively for himself -- but we don't have any other news on that."

Anderson Cooper: "Alright folks, we will be back."
 
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