Presidential Debate - September 2015
Transcript of Debate
Before we get started, a few quick notes:
1) We only had an hour of mutual availability between the candidates, so it's a shorter debate than usual.
2) I have a number of additional questions that were submitted to me by Europeians (and a few of my own) that I will be sending to the all of the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates. Hopefully, each ticket will respond so that I can compile another "debate-like" transcript to post up here for discussion/debate.
As always, thanks to everyone who submitted questions and to the candidates for their participation.
[Mousebumples] Can I have all 3 candidates confirm that they are properly voiced and are here?
[Writinglegend] Here. And voiced.
[Sopo] yes
[Kaboomlandia] okay i'm good
[Mousebumples] Excellent, we'll get started then, with opening statements. If there are no objections, we'll go WL -> Kaboom -> Sopo to start and then reverse the order every other question
[Mousebumples] Please post your opening statements whenever you're ready, as there's not really any need for a "set order" there, I don't think.
[Mousebumples] General debate rules in the meantime: please say (done) or something to that effect to indicate when you're done with your answer to a given question
[Mousebumples] Only the candidates and myself are voiced, so the peanut gallery is welcome to engage in chatter and mockery and the like in #euro.
[Mousebumples] If anyone has questions, feel free to ask - either in #euro or by query to keep the transcript as clean as possible to make it easier for me to post this quickly once we're done.
[Kaboomlandia] Hello, guys. I am Kaboomlandia, and I am running for President alongside GraVandius. While we're new, we bring some fresh ideas to the table. Our ideas were a bit from the school of thought "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." With no need for quick fixes after WL's term, GraVandius and I have decided to look more to the future. This is especially evident for the plans for the ERN. Coming off a great term, the only thing we need to do is increase awareness in the ERN through the RMB. DONE
[Sopo] As many of you know, I am running on the Haley/Sopo ticket. You may be wondering, why am I at this debate? What do I have to offer? Turkeys are done. I am finished.
[Writinglegend] I am Writinglegend and was the President of Europeia last term and the term before. I originally joined Europeia in May 2014, and instantly became active in the Citizens Assembly, all of the ministries, and in my own newspaper. A month or so after joining Europeia, I was appointed as Minister of Culture by then President Kraketopia and elected as Senator (where I served for three(?) terms). Over the several months I was Minister of Culture, I ran a plethora of highly successful events, rejuvenated our smaller game atmosphere, pumped up the weekend games, and more. Under the administration of then President Mousebumples, I served as Minister of the Interior and sent thousands of manual recruitment telegrams and rejuvenated our recruitment program while working to better our integration. After that, I ran with Sopo as Vice President and ultimately was elected. Under Sopo, I did a multitude of heavy tasks, reformed our CSO to what it is today, and had to serve as stand-in President when Sopo went on his LOA. After that term, I was elected as President (term before last term). Accomplishments of that term can be seen in my platform. I was re-elected once more to the Office of the President, where I served last term. Accomplishments in that term are in my platform. As you can see, I have a long resume of accomplishments and hard work, and so does my Vice President Calvin Coolidge. Calvin Coolidge and I are running for a third term in a time of stability, but a period where we can better grow our region as a whole. We have presented a detailed plan for Europeia’s External Communication, Interior, Culture, Communications, Navy, and Foreign Affairs in a goal-oriented platform about my ticket’s vision for Europeia. We will - as detailed in our platform - help Europeia go ‘Outside The Box’ by building a road: a road for External Communication. We have lead Europeia for two terms and brought the region great growth, and it would be our pleasure to do it for a third time. DONE
[Mousebumples] First question, WL first (Then Kaboom and Sopo): Excluding non-answers such as "I'll do what needs to be done and not do what does not need to be done," what is your overall philosophy as a candidate?
[Writinglegend] My philosophy can be summed up as goal-orientation and prioritization. In order to be an effective leader, for Europeia especially, you need to be goal oriented and understand fully what you plan to do, why you plan to do it, and how you plan to do it. You only have seventy days in a Presidential term, so setting goals allows you to efficiently manage your time and understand your progress throughout the term. With a lack of goals, you have a candidate that doesn't fully understand what they plan to do for the seventy days they are in office, and someone who can find themselves lost in the sheer volume of work the President position has. Prioritization also help, because it's not often you have the time to complete every single goal you set out. Knowing how important a certain goal is allows you to get it out of the way in order to get to the minor goals. Overall, prioritization and goals allow for effective working, and is a philosophy I have been using for my past two terms. DONE
[Kaboomlandia] Okay .My philosophy can be summed up as setting goals and setting up for the future. I will release the planned names for Cabinet later, but I will say that GraVandius and I took some fliers on Cabinet. WL and Calvin have set the region in great shape for the here and now, but this won't last forever. We need consistency and activity. If there's no goals to reach, nobody knows what they're supposed to be doing. Also, consistency is very important. For example, as GraVandius pointed out in the platform, the three times our recruitment telegrams were above 1500 weekly, those were also our best weeks in the Ca. However, the region's activity took a slight downturn in the second half, due to slightly weaker recruitment numbers and some minister inactivity. This is why consistency is so vital to the region's success, DONE
[Sopo] My philosophy. Hm. Well, in my previous terms as president, I have sought to build Europeia's prestige and enhance our relationships with our allies while finding new partners. The kind of exposure we get from innovative approaches to old problems is what keeps us as the premier UCR. While I have not always been the most effective president, I do still think the very basis of my philosophy rings true. When you do something and do it well, people notice and want to be a part of it. We need to be bringing people in, using the tools we have already developed and tools that no one has yet thought of. We need to reach out, both as a region and as individuals, to maximize exposure for Europeia and the things that make us special. We need to focus on our strengths: innovative radio content, vivacious community and interregional events, and elevated discourse on ideas both NationStates and real life. We need to hold ourselves to the level demanded of us by our illustrious past, but push ourselves to an even brighter future. DONE.
[Mousebumples] Question 2: Sopo - Kaboom - WL: What are your thoughts on the current CSO process? Are there any changes you'd like to see made in the coming term? Why or why not?
[Sopo] I helped develop what the CSO currently is, and I believe it is near optimal. Information is centralized but not easily overlooked. The foundation is strong. I'm sure more can be done to better utilize the new members coming in looking for things to do, but I'm happy with the current setup. DONE
[Kaboomlandia] I believe that the CSO process is fairly sound in its principles. The ministers are around often to get people joined. I don't really like the new format of the awards that focuses on quantity rather than quality, as this could encourage people to just sign up for everything without really putting in the elbow grease. Shadowlurker did revert to a quality-based system, but disappeared after half a term, so nothing ever really came of that. I'd definitely like to implement the quality-based awards and look towards integrating newcomers into ministries where they can contribute. After all, they are the future of this region, and we should teach them to be that. This is definitely reflected in the Cabinet that will be chosen by GraV and I, which includes a few new faces that can hopefully learn on the fly in a position where they can really contribute and learn. DONE
[Writinglegend] As the one who changed the CSO to what it is today along with Sopo I do feel the CSO is effective at what it does, but it can be a -better- institution to serve as an integration tool. As Sopo said, it is centralized and near optimal. One of my primary ideas for Interior and the CSO in general is to set up a CSO Internship Program that allows for newer, interested members in the executive that aren’t sure where to start out to get a taste test of each ministry. People who sign up spend a week or so in each ministry to get a “taste” of each area (ie: Culture they may help plan for the next festival, run a weekend game, work on Cultural Hub, etc). What I see a lot is that some newer members are unsure about joining a specific area, and I feel it is necessary that we also cater to them by providing them such a program to get a “test” of each executive area, and, at the end, choose one or two or more places. It also keeps these newer people consistently engaged throughout the time they are in the program as they meet something new and want to do their -best-. Newer members are the heart of the future, and we must train and develop them as so. DONE
[Mousebumples] Any rebuttals?
[Sopo] Won't it be difficult for Ministers to keep track of all the comings and goings? Won't some Ministries suffer from a "temp" mentality rather than dependable staff members? ex. what exactly can a temp do in FA?
[Writinglegend] I don't believe so, it just takes effective communication. It's not like we will have ten people joining this program at once, as I would like to test it out with a "beta" run of three-five people. So it won't become an issue where there are ten people joining ministry temporarily, only to leave in a week. In Foreign Affairs, they can, perhaps, help in the discussions within the ministry as well as get pointers from the minister themselves.
[Kaboomlandia] Writinglegend. Could this hypothetically actually decrease the ability of the ministries, because newer people would be constantly coming and going through ministries? If I was a minister, would' I want consistency rather than new faces?
[Writinglegend] I disagree, as they would still be doing the work. If you read what I said above, they would come in small quantities so it's not going to be a flow of people.
[Mousebumples] Question 3: Kaboom, Sopo, WL is the order. Looking at a foreign affairs perspective, how do you think Europeia is viewed internationally? (among both allies, foes, and new people who come across Europeia for the first time) What makes you come to that conclusion?
[Kaboomlandia] Looking from outside Europeia, I definitely think we're looked upon as a power in NationStates. From a foreign-affairs standpoint, if we're viewed as a region that nations want to join, then that will be good to see new faces. I think a good example of this is in the World Assembly. Europeia has a strong World Assembly contingent, and we're well-respected by other regions. finished
[Sopo] I believe that Europeia is generally seen positively. We've done a good job breaking through the propaganda utilized by some in the defender sphere to define ourselves and our own ideology, independence. We're known amongst our allies for being dependable partners (such as in Delegacy transfers) in both military and cultural matters. People who discover Europeia for the first time are often impressed if not overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of our legal system, culture, and history. We are diplomatically prudent, but we are not afraid to excercise the power we have militarily or in the WA. We have led our sphere for quite some time now, and I believe we are rightfully seen as leaders amongst the regions of NS. People are impressed with us. I'm impressed with us. We have clout, and we have earned it. Done
[Writinglegend] I feel there are tons of variables in this. Perspectives on us vary depending upon the age of the region in question, ideology, past history with us, etc. In older regions, I would say we are viewed as a one-of-a-kind region for our stability through the eight years we have been a UCR. Ideologists likely view us depending based upon their own ideology - people against Independence tend to look at us in a negative way (anyone here ever read a TRR article about us?
) whilst more raiders, imperialists, independents, and lighter defenders do not. I must say, though, some ideologists do just respect us not depending upon their ideology. Europeia as a region has done well to breakthrough the negative propaganda that tries to swipe our image of us and our ideology: Independence. It also helps that we are consistently innovative (mixlr), and have a well-defined legal system and culture that shocks people when they see it. From the perspectives of our allies, I would say we are generally viewed positively and as dependable partners in both military and cultural areas. Overall, a generally impressed outlook is given, and rightfully so. DONE[Mousebumples] Question 4, courtesy of HEM: What will be the riskiest thing you're going to try in your term, and how will you make it successful? (Sopo - WL - Kaboom)
[Sopo] I'm going to do my best to develop an economy. I know its been attempted before, and I'll be berated for trying, but can we really be successful if we never achieve what others believe to be impossible? uh... done
[Writinglegend] The riskiest thing I will be doing is creating the new ministry: External Communications. (EComm for short) Seeing as how the last ministry split I did with Interior went, as well as other negatives people have with new ministries, there’s going to be a lot of pressure for this one to succeed. I understand many people don’t really enjoy new ministries, due to the past history of them failing. But I do believe this ministry will work, and I, along with the minister, will push for it to work. It has a large portfolio spanning External Communication, a broad word. Dispatches, updates, gameside communication, collaboration on gameside communication, etc. Everyone here knows my energy and the work I produce. When I put my mind to something, I ensure it is finished in an utmost manner. But I think we all know that I am the President and not the Minister, so I will only have so much time and energy to put into it. In order to make it successful, I’ve found a minister that is also energetic, understanding of the work that comes along, and is ready for the pressure that will be on the ministry to succeed. They are a truly active individual that already has hands-on experience with the work the ministry will have. With effective communication of goals, as well as a consistently active minister, I’m sure we can succeed. Both of those, active minister and goals, have been checked off by me. This creation is risky because, if it fails, we fail our external communications system. However, with the active minister, effective communication, and detailed goals we can and will succeed at this project. DONE
[Kaboomlandia] I think the riskiest thing me and GraVandius will be doing is definitely trying to revive Citizen Integration. I am confident that last term was just an aberration and not the path of the Ministry itself. I feel there was definitely a lot of potential coming out of that ministry in the first part of last term. As I have said earlier, I will try to get some sort of a quality-based system, recognizing exemplary work in the ministries, encouraging newcomers to work hard, and hopefully set them up to be the leaders of the future. In short, I'm taking a huge flier on leaving Citizen Integration separate, but I feel my Cabinet choice can handle the pressure. DONE
[Writinglegend] I have a question for Kaboom. You have not specifically outlined how you will revive MoCI which is especially concerning to me. So, my question is, how will you revive the ministry? Will it have a large enough workload for the whole term? How will you get the large interest that hasn't been there for two terms? And can that not also be effectively done within Interior?
[Kaboomlandia] Citizen Integration is definitely important into getting newcomers involved in the government. A few specific things I will do if elected: - revive the RMB awards and focus on recognizing exemplary RMB posting. This could even include asking questions about how to get involved, and than getting involved.
[Writinglegend] Is that enough for a whole ministry though?
[Kaboomlandia] I believe that keeping Recruitment and Integration separate would be best in the long run. Some other things that I will be doing: - finally getting the Gameside Handbook cover page going - working on CSO awards, etc.
[Writinglegend] Is that enough?
[Kaboomlandia] Recruitment I feel has enough on its plate just maintaining consistent recruitment totals over an entire term, and I believe that keeping them separate would be for the best. DONE
[Writinglegend] That didn't really answer my question... How will you get the large interest that hasn't been there for two terms?
[Mousebumples] that's not what you asked; you asked if there was enough to do - he answered, in his opinion, yes
[Sopo] WL, you're criticizing Kaboom for maintaining the split of Interior into MoRR and MoCI while proposing your own (completely unprecedented) split in Communications which was already once rejected by voters in the February presidential election. Will Comm and ExComm each have a large enough workload for the whole term? How will you get the large interest to maintain both Ministries when Rylian/Trinnien, the current MinComm, has specifically noted the lack of interest amongst the populace in actually doing Comms work?
[Writinglegend] I'm critisizing Kaboom for keeping the split because I have questions on how effective it will be.
[Sopo] I have similar questions about your split.
[Writinglegend] EComm and Comm will definitly have a large enough workload for two seperate ministries. Calvin's split was a little different then mine, as it gave FA some things it arguable shouldn't have had, and EComm some things it arguably shouldn't have had. Such an example is diplomats in EComm (?). Comm will still have to work on column writing, which took up most of the time this term anyhow. EComm will consist of dispatches, the foreign update, gameside communication and outreach, as well as collaboration with other ministries on gameside communication and outreach.
[Kaboomlandia] Yes, but with Mixlr getting (somewhat) autonomy by being run by Noto, and EComm's formation, will Comm have enough to do?
[Sopo] Exactly
[Writinglegend] Yes it will. Mixlr got pushed to the side this term primarily because of the amount of work it was for the columns.
[Mousebumples] Okay, I don't think we're making any progress here, so let's move onto closing statements. Free for all, as you will.
[Writinglegend] And Kaboom, I am curious about your plans for Mixlr.
[Mousebumples] then ask that in his platform, WL - this is a debate
[Writinglegend] I know this is a debate, I am debating his lack of vision for that area.
[Mousebumples] how is that relevant to his statement on MoCI?
[Writinglegend] This is an appropriate place to address that.
[Mousebumples] is mixlr a part of Interior now?
[Writinglegend] We veered from Interior when Sopo rebutted.
[Mousebumples] he was asking about _your_ separation of comm; his vision of Mixlr never camea up
[Writinglegend] Hence why we are here.
[Mousebumples] i'm ruling it off topic
[Mousebumples] Closing Statement time - especially since Kaboom was supposed to be gone 10 minutes ago
[Writinglegend] Did you see the rebuttal? They asked whether or not Comm will have enough without Mixlr.
[Sopo] I was rebutting to your response to the original question which was fair and on topic
[Writinglegend] I still feel it was perfectly fine, since other candidates brought it up.
[Mousebumples] WL, you're overruled by the Debate Moderator. Justify as you will, but it's off-topic and it's now time for closing statements
[Kaboomlandia] Fellow Europeians, while the region is somewhat set for the present, GraVandius and I are reaching more towards the future, and integrating newcomers to be the future of the region. We're mostly happy with the present state of the region. While the continuation of the Recruitment/Integration split will be controversial, GraVandius and I feel it will be for the best, being able to devote more attention to both rather than shoehorning two different ministries into a single name. DONE
[Sopo] "At this point, the idea of a fresh start is often emphasized. Yet, if we ignore what we have already learned, we risk making the same mistakes. A better idea is one of the renewed start, wherin we embody the values that make us who we are, accept history as a viable teacher, and move forward in a positive way...Europeia should never be content with the mundane, the usual, the ineffective. We pride ourselves on achieving goals and meeting marks, but all too often we set our sights too low in the name of realism. I am no realist. I believe that as a region, our options are endless. Now is not the time to reach for 'stable' or 'solid,' but to reach for 'magnificent' and 'grand.' Let us, for once, take the road less traveled. Less us forge our own path- a uniquely Europeian path." - President Sopo 8/6/11
[Writinglegend] In conclusion Europeians, I feel I am the best man for the job currently running for the Office of the President. I present a goal-oriented platform that offers specific details on what I plan to do for the next seventy days, while the other to platforms produce a lack thereof. Currently, Europeains, we need these details and specifics for what we will do for the next seventy days. I can surely say that I will be rejuvenating Mixlr, but the question becomes -how- I will do that. How is the question we need to be asking at this moment, as how is a necessary detail in the goals we all have for the next seventy days. It is important that the next President is one with these goals and the knowing of what they will do when they take office, and I am that person. My past record shows I am an active, enthusiastic, and dedicated individual and one with competency and will do the job correctly and to my utmost ability. Europeians, I present a plan, a vision, and goals for the next seventy days: goals of externally communicating, integrating our future, and communicating effectively, and expanding our culture to more than just spam games. It would be an honor to be elected to a third term, and lead Europeia for another seventy days ahead. DONE
[Mousebumples] Thanks to everyone for joining us for the debate, and look for the transcript to be posted later tonight. Probably in a few hours when I'm watching the Packer game. My thanks as well to the candidates for their time, and I wish everyone well in the coming election.
