Is the Grass that much Greener?

[HEM]

Is the Grass that much Greener?
Editorial by HEM (because I couldn't make it sexy enough to merit anonymous)

The last three months have been heralded as a high water mark for Europeia by many people. The administration has been blessed with strong approval ratings and the voters re-elected President Vinage without a breathing opponent.

But have things really been that great? Vinage has been placed on a pedestal that he has not completely earned. While his presidency has not been horrible by any comparison of the worst, he ranks far closer to Presidents such as Nlhp and much farther away from figures like Pope Lexus X.

This is not meant to be an attack on Vinage and his Cabinet. I know many people will look at it that way. It isn't. It is meant to be a discussion on what this region expects from our leaders. Europeia is stable -- yes. Europeia is fairly active -- yes. But we haven't seen the groundbreaking achievement that merits 65% + approval ratings. In foreign affairs we have lost steam -- not gained. Our population situation is impressive, but not bringing us as many new eager citizens as possible. Our military is growing in strength and activity, but not in the numbers that might be possible.

Why aren't we pushing our leaders farther? Why aren't we demanding more? Even great Presidents of the past have been able to give just a little bit more when an eager population demanded it.

Why did we stop demanding the very best out of our leaders?

 

[Notolecta]

I don't think that they are veiwer vinage better than he is as much as they are simply complacent about our situation. The population is much more complacent, more satisfied with the status quo, and less diverse than it ever has been in the past and that is what is causing the high polling numbers.

 

[Kylia Quilor]

The problem isn't Vinage. Its Europeia's lack of institutional will to do anything truly grand in scope. We can't build a consensus around any truly grand project, and until we get such a consensus, or a President willing to damn the torpedos and just do something, we're going to stay largely where we are right now.

 

[Apollo]

Foreign Affairs has been going downhill for more than 3 months now - highlighted only be a massively underpublicized and undercovered treaty with Balder. CI has been going okay, I'd say -- filling the quota of welcoming tgs, but not going the extra mile at all. Interior has been great and Culture is doing pretty well, but also - not going the extra mile.

The main reason why Presidents are popular is because of controversy - President's can be deemed as inadequate if their big plans don't turn out as they wished, but at least they went out and tried to accomplish something extraordinary. Those who are seen as the best we're able to accomplish great things - those who are rated in the middle usually just barely improve the status quo, an arguement one could make the Vinage Administration has been doing. I think the high ratings are a combonation of his well-liked personality and non-controversial policies. Good for him and his ego? -- yes. Good for Europeia and not taking any chances? -- no.

(edit: grammar)

 

[Kylia Quilor]

The reason why keeping the status quo is so popular is because we can't agree on what is wrong with the status quo, how to change it, and what direction to go from here. The Vinage Administration has done better than you suggest - our FA hasn't been going downhill. It is on a project of maintinence, because that is the Vinage Administration. Vinage has been a very good president for the period - there's a reason why no one ran against him last time. No one was at a point in their time RL or career in NS where they wanted to run for the Presidency.

Vinage has provided a vital bridge that has kept Europeia on its current track while we decide what direction we want to go from here. He has brought a new class of officials into public life and into the political elite and civil service upper class. He has ensured that we don' go backwards, but he hasn't gone forwards because we can't agree on what is 'forwards' and what direction we go from here.

There are big advantages to our very diverse cast of opinions here in Europeia. But it does make building a consensus for a grand project or drastic move in a new direction difficult, to say the least. Case in point, the discussion about "griefing"

 

[PhDre]

Case in point, the discussion about "griefing"

I'm almost certain that there was some sort of consensus reached regarding the view of griefers by Europeians. There was certainly an attempt to deflate that consensus (specifically the argument that perhaps the respondents of the poll are unfamiliar with what 'griefing' really is), but there is a majority that is looking for a new stricter direction against griefers (and the President has promised that direction though I haven't seen much materialize.

 

[Common-Sense Politics]

Well said, HEM. And we don't need "grand projects" as much as we need a little vision, a little ambition.

 

[Kylia Quilor]

Case in point, the discussion about "griefing"

I'm almost certain that there was some sort of consensus reached regarding the view of griefers by Europeians. There was certainly an attempt to deflate that consensus (specifically the argument that perhaps the respondents of the poll are unfamiliar with what 'griefing' really is), but there is a majority that is looking for a new stricter direction against griefers (and the President has promised that direction though I haven't seen much materialize.

That is exactly my point. The deflation from Skizzy and NES as well as others, have ensured that we won't have a consensus on any sort of policy like that.

 

[Kylia Quilor]

Well said, HEM. And we don't need "grand projects" as much as we need a little vision, a little ambition.

Anything more than what we already have would require a major realignment of the status quo, which is a grand project.

 

[Common-Sense Politics]

Well said, HEM. And we don't need "grand projects" as much as we need a little vision, a little ambition.

Anything more than what we already have would require a major realignment of the status quo, which is a grand project.

Wholly disagree.

 

[PhDre]

A little vision requires a changing of the status quo? This quo sucks then.

 

[HEM]

I think there are a few ways out of our rut. But a grand project, such as my Good Neighbor Policy, could be one of then.

 

[Kylia Quilor]

Well said, HEM. And we don't need "grand projects" as much as we need a little vision, a little ambition.

Anything more than what we already have would require a major realignment of the status quo, which is a grand project.

Wholly disagree.

Then what would you suggest we take as a project? Having vision means having something specific in mind.

Any project that would actually require real presidential vision, would be a grand one.

 

[Apollo]

I think there are a few ways out of our rut. But a grand project, such as my Good Neighbor Policy, could be one of then.

This. Let's actually get something done foreign affairs wise. We have so much influence and all we need is a little vision and risk taking to get out of this [stagnation].

 

[Skizzy Grey]

I have been debating writing a "report card" for the Vinage administration for the EBC, and still might. Here are a few quick-hitting thoughts.

-- We tend to grade our Presidents on effort. Vinage is popular, first and foremost, because everyone knows he's working his ass off for this region.

-- Vinage deserves credit for the strong performance of Interior and Culture, and for overall robust levels of activity. Recruitment is very strong, and Vinage's support for Gus when he ruffled some feathers last term has paid dividends in the long run. There's more to being President than diplomacy, and Vinage is the strongest domestic President we've seen in a long time -- at least since Earth.

-- A lot of FA initiatives the past two terms that have begun behind closed doors have withered on the vine, never ripening into something worthy of a public pronouncement. Presidents need to set priorities, and break down major projects into digestible chunks that can be completed in a single 70-day term. Vinage could have done more on this front.

-- Pursuing an independent foreign policy path will always disappoint people who wish to see Europeia enact "big ideas," which invariably pull us in either an imperialist or a defender-oriented direction -- HEM's "good neighbor" policy is an example of the former; PhDre's push for formal "anti-griefing" initiatives is an example of the latter. (I won't drag this thread off track, except to note that I have articulated my opposition to both initiatives at length elsewhere.) Although I agree that the administration could have been more assertive on foreign policy, I disagree with the prescriptions being tossed around here.

-- I understand why Vinage has focused more on getting things done than on talking about getting things done, but in a game that is literally 100% communications, a big part of the President's job is to communicate with the citizens. Some of our Presidents have been unusually artful with words, and I think Vinage has tried too hard to match their eloquence with his occasional speeches, instead of playing to his strengths by communicating informally and frequently with Europeians about all the work he is doing for the region.

-- The region would have benefited if Seven Deaths had taken a more high-profile role in the Administration. Part of the VP's job is to complement the President, and a worker bee like Vinage might have been better paired with a VP who relished the rhetorical part of the job more than SD does.

 

[Anumia]

I'll take stable, long-term governance over populist, "look we're doing things!!!" stuff.

 

[Kylia Quilor]

I'll take stable, long-term governance over populist, "look we're doing things!!!" stuff.

Which would be why Vinage is popular.

@Skizzy: I agree with most of your points, but there has to be some kind of broad independant foreign policy initiative we can come up with. One example might be stepping up our issue with Nazis into a more comprehensive policy. (Not going like Antifa and attacking all Fascist/Nationalist/Etc regions, but perhaps attacking outright Nazi regions and trying to liberate what they've captured).

 

[hyanygo]

Let's make sure we can send out a good foreign update first.

 

[Skizzy Grey]

I'll take stable, long-term governance over populist, "look we're doing things!!!" stuff.

Which would be why Vinage is popular.

@Skizzy: I agree with most of your points, but there has to be some kind of broad independant foreign policy initiative we can come up with. One example might be stepping up our issue with Nazis into a more comprehensive policy. (Not going like Antifa and attacking all Fascist/Nationalist/Etc regions, but perhaps attacking outright Nazi regions and trying to liberate what they've captured).

I'm somewhat constrained by confidentiality. Suffice it to say there's no shortage of ideas for advancing an independent policy -- we just haven't been able to throw ourselves behind one or two of those ideas and set goals (which may be milestones rather than end points) that are achievable within a single term.

Let's make sure we can send out a good foreign update first.

I tend to file this under communications rather than foreign policy, but you're absolutely correct.