Senators All Glancing Awkwardly Back And Forth At Each Other As Hezekon Vote Toils On

I wouldn't say there's anything wrong with bringing back an older player to serve as minister, even one that wasn't too active in the recent time, in order for them to take care of a specific task that the President believes this person can do better than others.
The bold is my emphasis.

I think this is a fair point, but the logic fails when the president has essentially admitted they considered nobody except Hez for the position. There was no comparison made. It appears the only evaluation was if Hez could do it, not how Hez could do it compared to others.

It was, essentially, a fait accompli.
 
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I think @SkyGreen brings up some keen points, but also agree with @Deepest House on how Lloen's presentation of Hezekon and his decision-making process does change it up a little bit.

Idk, I'm ready to drop this and give the Minister a chance to succeed. I wish Hezekon the best of luck.

I am going to have some questions the next time Senate elections roll around though!!
 
I wish Hezekon the best of luck.

I hope everyone takes this approach no matter how they feel about the nomination. Even if someone doesn't like the nomination I hope they recognize that I am the one they should be upset with in that case, not Hez - he just answered the call when asked to serve. So I hope everyone gives him a chance in the role, and peppers me with DMs, opinion pieces, and comments about being egregious while still rooting for Hez to have a good term if they still want to get their feelings across. I won't comment on how the Senate voted - I'm obviously going to be pleased that the minister was confirmed so anything I say on that is both going to be biased because of that result and viewed by anyone reading it (appropriately) through that lens, so I'll leave it for others to discuss whether the confirmation process was worth anything in this case or whether it is an object lesson in a need for change of some kind.
 
I wish Hezekon the best of luck.

I hope everyone takes this approach no matter how they feel about the nomination. Even if someone doesn't like the nomination I hope they recognize that I am the one they should be upset with in that case, not Hez - he just answered the call when asked to serve. So I hope everyone gives him a chance in the role, and peppers me with DMs, opinion pieces, and comments about being egregious while still rooting for Hez to have a good term if they still want to get their feelings across. I won't comment on how the Senate voted - I'm obviously going to be pleased that the minister was confirmed so anything I say on that is both going to be biased because of that result and viewed by anyone reading it (appropriately) through that lens, so I'll leave it for others to discuss whether the confirmation process was worth anything in this case or whether it is an object lesson in a need for change of some kind.
Personally I hope that Hez crashes and burns in a spectacular fashion, so I can say "see I was right, Senator of the year over here" and smugly strut around the Senate building gloating, going "waaaaaaay" at every Senator who voted aye on the nomination.

(Obviously just joking here!!! I hope Hez has a very successful term and I wish him the very best of luck in the role).
 
But we all know that I enjoy stirring the pot a little bit, too.

What you? I could never believe it ...
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I think we're missing the important subtext regarding Boisenburg's comments - He's been nominated by Lloen, and while he might not have an explicit obligation to support other nominees, it is likely to affect his vote.
My vote in favor had more to do with the confirmation process taking a lot longer than I feel it should have. At that point we were nearly a week into the term and most of the Cabinet had been confirmed but not seated. The nominee explained to the Senate the circumstances that lead to his inconsistent forum engagement in recent terms, and reassured us that he would have more time to commit to his in-game responsibilities this term. I didn’t see the point in blocking such a qualified nominee and further prolonging the confirmation process. Perhaps there was someone better-suited or more deserving of the role in this moment, but that to me doesn’t necessarily make Hez a bad nominee. This is why I decided to defer to the President’s judgement and vote in favor. If Hez doesn’t live up to the assurances made in his confirmation hearing then the Senate reserves the right to pursue his removal.
 
I think the Senate is often to scared to throw it's weight around and vote against nominations because there's a long history and sentiment that gives Presidents great leeway over their cabinets and nominee. I think it's important for oversight groups to look at the whole picture when making these decisions, including possible alternatives -- because sometimes... There's not many.

Ultimately I probably would've voted against if I were a Senator, but I also think some of the questions that were asked were pretty absurd; especially trying to get someone to be on the spot creative with things that may otherwise not be vetted and supported by the Administration just to have an exercise to show they can... be creative.

I'm sure Hez will do fine but it's very funny to watch from the sidelines!
 
It feels to me that people had a bigger problem with the circumstances of the nomination than with Hezekon as the nominee. And I think most of the Senate was relatively confident that Hezekon has the potential to do a good job. In that case, I think it would be a bit ridiculous to block the nomination when your concerns aren't actually over the potential performance of the nominee himself or even with the nominee's history in the region, and perhaps that's what the Senators thought as well.
 
There is a school of thought that the Senate should consider only the nominee in front of them rather than considering the other potential nominees that were passed over. In a vacuum, do we believe Hezekon is qualified to do this job and will be successful?
I wonder if we should legislate guidelines or criteria for the Senate to consider for confirmations. Maybe an NBR. That could help senators more clearly decide and justify their votes.
which at this point appears to have happened in practice.
I don’t think that the only merit of confirmations is the Senate’s ability to strike down nominees. The region benefits from the chance to learn about (and question) the nominees, their approaches, their qualifications, their plans, etc.
 
I'm sure Hez will do fine but it's very funny to watch from the sidelines!

I think he will likely do fine as well.

However, I don’t think the standard for Hez to reach is fine. I think given the circumstances of the nomination, there is a higher expectation. That’s why Hez was chosen over other, internal candidates, who could’ve done fine.

We should be expecting an exceptional term from Hez. That’s the standard he should be judged against, given the overall circumstances.

I want us to keep the expectations real, but I am also pulling for him to meet and even exceed them!
 
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I didn't view it from the lens of "are there better and more qualified nominees" or "more deserving" nominees, because I agree the Senate should make their decision based on the nominee in front of them and not the nominee they wish they had in front of them. However, I did think about the message and potential impact confirming such a nominee could have on the dedicated staffers and new players who have worked hard but despite that hard work and dedication haven't been offer the opportunity to become a Minister. I think confirming a nominee who regained citizenship 8 days ago after losing their citizenship due to inactivity, sends a bad and discouraging message to those staffers and new players and suggests we don't value them or their hard work. And aside from the fact that we should always be sending encouraging messages to those players and showing we value them, I also worry that if we aren't offering opportunities for upwards mobility and instead constantly rewarding old players who suddenly come back and don't do anything before being rewarded with a new position, those new players are going to wonder what's the point in working hard and putting the effort in if it doesn't lead to anything. So when balancing Hez's qualifications as a nominee (which do exist to be clear) and in my opinion the negative messaging a confirmation would send out, I believed that negative messaging would still do greater harm even if Hez had an acceptable term so I voted no.

And I would also suggest, there's a fair argument to be made that someone who hasn't been active in the region for several months and hasn't been involved in the Ministry they hope to lead for even longer, that they may not be the best qualified to lead that Ministry. If you haven't been involved in the region or Ministry for a long time, how can you accurately and fully know and understand the challenges and problems the region and Ministry faces today and what the solutions may be? The region and Ministry of Culture two years ago, is not the region and Ministry of Culture today. I think there's more to someone's qualifications and experience than what roles they held 2 years ago. Recent experience which shows you understand the current situation and its problems, as well as having recently worked on them is a far better and more relevant qualification than what you did several years ago. Indeed, I would argue a Deputy Minister who has been working hard in a Ministry for several terms is better qualified and experienced to lead that Ministry than a former Minister who hasn't worked in that Ministry for several terms.

Essentially I am arguing that a more holistic approach would have been a better approach here in my opinion. Now that Hez is confirmed I wish him the best of luck in that role, but I do think lessons should be learned from this and I hope that future Presidents and Senators think more widely and take a holistic view when they nominate and confirm future nominees.
 
I didn't view it from the lens of "are there better and more qualified nominees" or "more deserving" nominees, because I agree the Senate should make their decision based on the nominee in front of them and not the nominee they wish they had in front of them. However, I did think about the message and potential impact confirming such a nominee could have on the dedicated staffers and new players who have worked hard but despite that hard work and dedication haven't been offer the opportunity to become a Minister. I think confirming a nominee who regained citizenship 8 days ago after losing their citizenship due to inactivity, sends a bad and discouraging message to those staffers and new players and suggests we don't value them or their hard work. And aside from the fact that we should always be sending encouraging messages to those players and showing we value them, I also worry that if we aren't offering opportunities for upwards mobility and instead constantly rewarding old players who suddenly come back and don't do anything before being rewarded with a new position, those new players are going to wonder what's the point in working hard and putting the effort in if it doesn't lead to anything. So when balancing Hez's qualifications as a nominee (which do exist to be clear) and in my opinion the negative messaging a confirmation would send out, I believed that negative messaging would still do greater harm even if Hez had an acceptable term so I voted no.

And I would also suggest, there's a fair argument to be made that someone who hasn't been active in the region for several months and hasn't been involved in the Ministry they hope to lead for even longer, that they may not be the best qualified to lead that Ministry. If you haven't been involved in the region or Ministry for a long time, how can you accurately and fully know and understand the challenges and problems the region and Ministry faces today and what the solutions may be? The region and Ministry of Culture two years ago, is not the region and Ministry of Culture today. I think there's more to someone's qualifications and experience than what roles they held 2 years ago. Recent experience which shows you understand the current situation and its problems, as well as having recently worked on them is a far better and more relevant qualification than what you did several years ago. Indeed, I would argue a Deputy Minister who has been working hard in a Ministry for several terms is better qualified and experienced to lead that Ministry than a former Minister who hasn't worked in that Ministry for several terms.

Essentially I am arguing that a more holistic approach would have been a better approach here in my opinion. Now that Hez is confirmed I wish him the best of luck in that role, but I do think lessons should be learned from this and I hope that future Presidents and Senators think more widely and take a holistic view when they nominate and confirm future nominees.
These would have been good points to discuss in the confirmation thread before the vote.
 
I didn't view it from the lens of "are there better and more qualified nominees" or "more deserving" nominees, because I agree the Senate should make their decision based on the nominee in front of them and not the nominee they wish they had in front of them. However, I did think about the message and potential impact confirming such a nominee could have on the dedicated staffers and new players who have worked hard but despite that hard work and dedication haven't been offer the opportunity to become a Minister. I think confirming a nominee who regained citizenship 8 days ago after losing their citizenship due to inactivity, sends a bad and discouraging message to those staffers and new players and suggests we don't value them or their hard work. And aside from the fact that we should always be sending encouraging messages to those players and showing we value them, I also worry that if we aren't offering opportunities for upwards mobility and instead constantly rewarding old players who suddenly come back and don't do anything before being rewarded with a new position, those new players are going to wonder what's the point in working hard and putting the effort in if it doesn't lead to anything. So when balancing Hez's qualifications as a nominee (which do exist to be clear) and in my opinion the negative messaging a confirmation would send out, I believed that negative messaging would still do greater harm even if Hez had an acceptable term so I voted no.

And I would also suggest, there's a fair argument to be made that someone who hasn't been active in the region for several months and hasn't been involved in the Ministry they hope to lead for even longer, that they may not be the best qualified to lead that Ministry. If you haven't been involved in the region or Ministry for a long time, how can you accurately and fully know and understand the challenges and problems the region and Ministry faces today and what the solutions may be? The region and Ministry of Culture two years ago, is not the region and Ministry of Culture today. I think there's more to someone's qualifications and experience than what roles they held 2 years ago. Recent experience which shows you understand the current situation and its problems, as well as having recently worked on them is a far better and more relevant qualification than what you did several years ago. Indeed, I would argue a Deputy Minister who has been working hard in a Ministry for several terms is better qualified and experienced to lead that Ministry than a former Minister who hasn't worked in that Ministry for several terms.

Essentially I am arguing that a more holistic approach would have been a better approach here in my opinion. Now that Hez is confirmed I wish him the best of luck in that role, but I do think lessons should be learned from this and I hope that future Presidents and Senators think more widely and take a holistic view when they nominate and confirm future nominees.
These would have been good points to discuss in the confirmation thread before the vote.
 
I did discuss those points both in the confirmation thread and on radio. Although I'll admit likely not as in great as detail or length as I did here.
 
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