Punchwood: Welcome everyone to our Presidential Draft which definitely is not a cheap rip-off of Calvin, HEM and Sopo's, which in turn definitely is not a cheap rip-off of FiveThirtyEight's. Drexlore, Le Libertie and I will be listening the three people we believe are most likely to seek the Presidency in the upcoming election. We'll be using a snake-draft and the running order will be myself, Drexlore and then Le Libertie. Scoring is simple. You win 5 points if you select the winning Presidential Candidate. 4 points if you select the winning Vice Presidential Candidate. 3 points for selecting someone who runs for President or Vice President but does not win and 2 points for selecting someone who ends up in the Cabinet.
Le Libertie: I'm ready!
Drexlore: Let's go boys!
Punchwood: Ok! I shall start with a possibly risky pick but I'm going to say Ervald. He's being working in the MoWAA for quite a while now and everyone seems to agree that he's doing a fine job there. He's also served as the Minister of Culture as well as a Senator and of course the main reason why I picked him is because he was just elected as the WA Delegate. That's a big role, with big name recognition and big influence. I think this would be an excellent time for him to run for President. The reason I'm a bit worried is because I'm not sure if he wants to run for President or not. I don't know if he has that strong ambition, which is why I'm a bit worried.
At the very least I think he could be a VP candidate and definitely be in the Cabinet which makes me feel a little better.
Le Libertie: I agree that he's an attractive pick.
Drexlore: Ervald is a hard worker and a big up and comer. I would be surprised if he wasn't in the Cabinet somewhere.
Le Libertie: One question I've thought of is if he could be both President and WA Delegate, but other than that I completely concur with Drex.
Drexlore: I know back in the older days, we had both Vinage and Mouse as WAD and President at the same time. However, that was when both were elected and now the WAD is appointed.
Le Libertie: Ah, okay.
Punchwood: I would imagine that taking on both roles would be time consuming but they could potentially work hand in hand.
Drexlore: So, on to my pick. I am going to go with our current Vice President, Kuramia! She has certainly been working hard these last few terms. She was a Senator, Minister of Comms for a bit, Deputy CoS and has all around been working hard. Usually the VP is seen as a sort of stepping stone to the Presidency, and I think she has built up the presence to make a run for the big seat. She has the name recognition and influence to pull together a great campaign. I think she can work hard at it and she can be very, very successful at it. If not President, hopefully somewhere in the cabinet as she has been building up her resume and skill set for quite some time now.
Punchwood: Damn! That was one of my top picks!
Le Libertie: Mine too.
Punchwood: Kuramia definitely has the capability to run for President and win and I know I've wanted to see her run in the past. But like Ervald I'm not sure if she wants the role and indeed I'd say she seems very uninterested in the role.
Le Libertie: Well, since both of you have taken up my favourite picks I'm going to go with our current President, Deepest House. Despite the fact that we haven't had any executive polls this term, I think most Europeians view his term in a favourable light. I think he's earned a lot of sympathy through the many problems he has faced through this summer inactivity slump. Then again, his struggles during this term could be a factor which could drive his disinterest for a second term. But if he chose to run, I think it would be very likely he would win. There's also a good chance he would wind up in the Cabinet.
Punchwood: Yes I think if he were to run for re-election he'd win. Will he though? That's unclear, but certainly a strong pick.
Le Libertie: And now my second pick is... Drexlore himself! Despite not being in the Cabinet, Drexlore has been fairly active and visible. His poll numbers during his run as VP were fairly positive, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up in the Cabinet or as a VP. He has a sizable amount of experience, he's active, and is popular.
Punchwood: Damn! Another one of my top picks gone! I'd agree with everything you've just said and even add that I think Drexlore could mount his own Presidential campaign and be a serious contender.
Drexlore: Damn. You got me! Okay. So for my next pick, I'm gonna say Izzy. Izzy is fairly popular on here. He has the presence on Discord and has been active in government lately. He is currently MoFA, so I assume he would have plans to at least want to stay in government again. We also saw him run with GraV last term, and many people thought he should have been at the front of the ticket. I have a feeling that Izzy has wanted to get into the Goldenblock and I think now may be the right time for him to mount that campaign.
Le Libertie: Certainly a good pick that I wasn't thinking of.
Punchwood: Definitely. He did say in #election-discussion that he wasn't interested in being in the Cabinet past this term. Maybe a sign he's going to run or possibly that he is scaling back his time. Ok I'm going to play it safe for this pick and say Writinglegend. Need I say much more? He's been President countless times before and held basically every role in Euro. Even if he himself does not run for President he would be a very attractive VP and he's almost certainly going to be in the Cabinet in some capacity.
Drexlore: I think Gleg is one of those picks that you always say will run for President cause he's gonna be in the Cabinet at least some way.
Le Libertie: Yeah. The only thing that would make me a bit hesitant to choose him is that he hasn't been too visible recently.
Punchwood: Yes I did think about that but I think people are more willing to let him off with that, than say a new member to the Cabinet.
Drexlore: That may be because he is hard at work on the IJCC getting that ready for next term.
Le Libertie: Oh, that makes sense.
Punchwood: As for my final pick I'm torn between a risky one and a safe one but I think I'll go with the latter and say Le Libertie! He's been working hard in Interior, increasing manual recruitment by a huge percentage. I think you'd make an interesting VP for perhaps an older member having worked in Interior as a Minister and previously as a Senator and would provide a fresher face. I think it's also likely that we'll see you in the Cabinet again as either the MoI or even somewhere else such as Comms or Culture as I think the skills you've built up in Interior are fairly versatile.
Drexlore: Oh, LL is interesting. Hard worker for sure and good pick for any potential president, if he doesn't run himself. So, I guess the question now is, you gonna run!?
Le Libertie: I'm flattered.
Drexlore: So, for my final pick I'm gonna go with GraV. I don't think it's any secret that GraV wants to be President. We know last term he announced very early on he was running and his campaign seemed rushed. However, he may be keeping it close to the chest this term. As the current Minister of Comms and a Justice, we have seen a GraV bounce back and getting ready to be primed for the big chair. If he plays his cards right, he may have a great campaign on his hands, and I also suspect that he will be back as Min Comms or another Minister in some fashion. The case can be made to bring GraV into the cabinet and see him shine some more.
Punchwood: Nice pick.
Le Libertie: I agree.
Punchwood: I'd agree that he seems to have come back fairly strong and a more thought-out campaign would certainly benefit him.
Le Libertie: My pick will be our current Speaker Pitchtonia. He's had extensive experience with the executive, and seems to be one of the most popular members of the Senate. He can use his credentials to run a strong campaign. I also believe there is a fair chance that he could end up in the Cabinet. He's clearly been an active, contributing citizen of the region, and if he has a good vision for the region I think him winning is a possibility.
Drexlore: Oh, that's one that I haven't really thought of.
Punchwood: He was my risky pick that I decided against in the end.
Drexlore: Yeah, I think he would be an interesting pick. Certainly active and certainly around.
Punchwood: I think if he were to run he would be a very strong contender.
Ok then that's us concluded our three main picks. They are:
Our thoughts on who has the strongest team?
Le Libertie: I honestly don't know which team is best.
Drexlore: I mean, LL has a very strong second pick there.
Punchwood: Very ture! I think they're all pretty balanced to be honest. You have some safer picks, slightly out there ones and some who may not run for President but could certainly be a VP or end up in the Cabinet. Before we wrap things up, does anyone have any names left on their lists? You don't have to provide an explanation but it would be interesting to see who else we were thinking of.
Le Libertie: I'm looking at the government list right now… I could definitely see Whitmark in the Cabinet. He's in the LDP in multiple ministries.
Punchwood: In no particular order I had Vlaska, Aramor and Calvin. Whitmark is certainly one I'd like to see. Drex, did you have anyone else?
Drexlore: I feel like Johnny and Mono Rach are picks as well.
Le Libertie: I'll add Drecq and Punch to my list too.
Punchwood: Ooooooooo I'm honoured.
Le Libertie: My pleasure.
Punchwood: We will have to see how accurate our lists are as this election grows ever nearer. It'll certainly be interesting to see who runs and if we were close or totally off the ball. My thanks to both Le Libertie and Drexlore for joining me tonight for this interesting discussion. I hope we'll see you both in any future discussion we may hold during the Presidential election.
Le Libertie: I really enjoyed this.
Drexlore: This was fun!
Le Libertie: I'm ready!
Drexlore: Let's go boys!
Punchwood: Ok! I shall start with a possibly risky pick but I'm going to say Ervald. He's being working in the MoWAA for quite a while now and everyone seems to agree that he's doing a fine job there. He's also served as the Minister of Culture as well as a Senator and of course the main reason why I picked him is because he was just elected as the WA Delegate. That's a big role, with big name recognition and big influence. I think this would be an excellent time for him to run for President. The reason I'm a bit worried is because I'm not sure if he wants to run for President or not. I don't know if he has that strong ambition, which is why I'm a bit worried.
At the very least I think he could be a VP candidate and definitely be in the Cabinet which makes me feel a little better.
Le Libertie: I agree that he's an attractive pick.
Drexlore: Ervald is a hard worker and a big up and comer. I would be surprised if he wasn't in the Cabinet somewhere.
Le Libertie: One question I've thought of is if he could be both President and WA Delegate, but other than that I completely concur with Drex.
Drexlore: I know back in the older days, we had both Vinage and Mouse as WAD and President at the same time. However, that was when both were elected and now the WAD is appointed.
Le Libertie: Ah, okay.
Punchwood: I would imagine that taking on both roles would be time consuming but they could potentially work hand in hand.
Drexlore: So, on to my pick. I am going to go with our current Vice President, Kuramia! She has certainly been working hard these last few terms. She was a Senator, Minister of Comms for a bit, Deputy CoS and has all around been working hard. Usually the VP is seen as a sort of stepping stone to the Presidency, and I think she has built up the presence to make a run for the big seat. She has the name recognition and influence to pull together a great campaign. I think she can work hard at it and she can be very, very successful at it. If not President, hopefully somewhere in the cabinet as she has been building up her resume and skill set for quite some time now.
Punchwood: Damn! That was one of my top picks!
Le Libertie: Mine too.
Punchwood: Kuramia definitely has the capability to run for President and win and I know I've wanted to see her run in the past. But like Ervald I'm not sure if she wants the role and indeed I'd say she seems very uninterested in the role.
Le Libertie: Well, since both of you have taken up my favourite picks I'm going to go with our current President, Deepest House. Despite the fact that we haven't had any executive polls this term, I think most Europeians view his term in a favourable light. I think he's earned a lot of sympathy through the many problems he has faced through this summer inactivity slump. Then again, his struggles during this term could be a factor which could drive his disinterest for a second term. But if he chose to run, I think it would be very likely he would win. There's also a good chance he would wind up in the Cabinet.
Punchwood: Yes I think if he were to run for re-election he'd win. Will he though? That's unclear, but certainly a strong pick.
Le Libertie: And now my second pick is... Drexlore himself! Despite not being in the Cabinet, Drexlore has been fairly active and visible. His poll numbers during his run as VP were fairly positive, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up in the Cabinet or as a VP. He has a sizable amount of experience, he's active, and is popular.
Punchwood: Damn! Another one of my top picks gone!
I'd agree with everything you've just said and even add that I think Drexlore could mount his own Presidential campaign and be a serious contender.Drexlore: Damn. You got me!
Okay. So for my next pick, I'm gonna say Izzy. Izzy is fairly popular on here. He has the presence on Discord and has been active in government lately. He is currently MoFA, so I assume he would have plans to at least want to stay in government again. We also saw him run with GraV last term, and many people thought he should have been at the front of the ticket. I have a feeling that Izzy has wanted to get into the Goldenblock and I think now may be the right time for him to mount that campaign.Le Libertie: Certainly a good pick that I wasn't thinking of.
Punchwood: Definitely. He did say in #election-discussion that he wasn't interested in being in the Cabinet past this term. Maybe a sign he's going to run or possibly that he is scaling back his time. Ok I'm going to play it safe for this pick and say Writinglegend. Need I say much more? He's been President countless times before and held basically every role in Euro. Even if he himself does not run for President he would be a very attractive VP and he's almost certainly going to be in the Cabinet in some capacity.
Drexlore: I think Gleg is one of those picks that you always say will run for President cause he's gonna be in the Cabinet at least some way.
Le Libertie: Yeah. The only thing that would make me a bit hesitant to choose him is that he hasn't been too visible recently.
Punchwood: Yes I did think about that but I think people are more willing to let him off with that, than say a new member to the Cabinet.
Drexlore: That may be because he is hard at work on the IJCC getting that ready for next term.
Le Libertie: Oh, that makes sense.
Punchwood: As for my final pick I'm torn between a risky one and a safe one but I think I'll go with the latter and say Le Libertie! He's been working hard in Interior, increasing manual recruitment by a huge percentage. I think you'd make an interesting VP for perhaps an older member having worked in Interior as a Minister and previously as a Senator and would provide a fresher face. I think it's also likely that we'll see you in the Cabinet again as either the MoI or even somewhere else such as Comms or Culture as I think the skills you've built up in Interior are fairly versatile.
Drexlore: Oh, LL is interesting. Hard worker for sure and good pick for any potential president, if he doesn't run himself. So, I guess the question now is, you gonna run!?
Le Libertie: I'm flattered.
Drexlore: So, for my final pick I'm gonna go with GraV. I don't think it's any secret that GraV wants to be President. We know last term he announced very early on he was running and his campaign seemed rushed. However, he may be keeping it close to the chest this term. As the current Minister of Comms and a Justice, we have seen a GraV bounce back and getting ready to be primed for the big chair. If he plays his cards right, he may have a great campaign on his hands, and I also suspect that he will be back as Min Comms or another Minister in some fashion. The case can be made to bring GraV into the cabinet and see him shine some more.
Punchwood: Nice pick.
Le Libertie: I agree.
Punchwood: I'd agree that he seems to have come back fairly strong and a more thought-out campaign would certainly benefit him.
Le Libertie: My pick will be our current Speaker Pitchtonia. He's had extensive experience with the executive, and seems to be one of the most popular members of the Senate. He can use his credentials to run a strong campaign. I also believe there is a fair chance that he could end up in the Cabinet. He's clearly been an active, contributing citizen of the region, and if he has a good vision for the region I think him winning is a possibility.
Drexlore: Oh, that's one that I haven't really thought of.
Punchwood: He was my risky pick that I decided against in the end.
Drexlore: Yeah, I think he would be an interesting pick. Certainly active and certainly around.
Punchwood: I think if he were to run he would be a very strong contender.
Ok then that's us concluded our three main picks. They are:
| Punchwood: | Ervald | Writinglegend | Le Libertie |
| Drexlore: | Kuramia | Izzy | GraVandius |
| Le Libertie: | Deepest House | Drexlore | Pichtonia |
Our thoughts on who has the strongest team?
Le Libertie: I honestly don't know which team is best.
Drexlore: I mean, LL has a very strong second pick there.
Punchwood: Very ture!
I think they're all pretty balanced to be honest. You have some safer picks, slightly out there ones and some who may not run for President but could certainly be a VP or end up in the Cabinet. Before we wrap things up, does anyone have any names left on their lists? You don't have to provide an explanation but it would be interesting to see who else we were thinking of.Le Libertie: I'm looking at the government list right now… I could definitely see Whitmark in the Cabinet. He's in the LDP in multiple ministries.
Punchwood: In no particular order I had Vlaska, Aramor and Calvin. Whitmark is certainly one I'd like to see. Drex, did you have anyone else?
Drexlore: I feel like Johnny and Mono Rach are picks as well.
Le Libertie: I'll add Drecq and Punch to my list too.
Punchwood: Ooooooooo I'm honoured.
Le Libertie: My pleasure.
Punchwood: We will have to see how accurate our lists are as this election grows ever nearer. It'll certainly be interesting to see who runs and if we were close or totally off the ball. My thanks to both Le Libertie and Drexlore for joining me tonight for this interesting discussion. I hope we'll see you both in any future discussion we may hold during the Presidential election.
Le Libertie: I really enjoyed this.
Drexlore: This was fun!
