- Pronouns
- He/Him
I honestly think that once your identity is established and your reputation is articulated by someone else, you only need to make one post per year after that to solidly reaffirm that perception in the mind of the community at large. You can make hundreds or even thousands of posts throughout the year that paint a different (or at least more complex) picture but that one time you let your guard down, that one time you forget your filter, can't be taken back. I hit the post button yesterday and instantly thought to myself, "You did it again, you moron."
You know what? It was worth it. Something needs to be said and as is so often the case, if I don't say it then nobody will. Not only do I think Aditya Republic needs to be borderline-brutally chastised for repeatedly inserting himself into elections he has absolutely no earthly business in, I think we need to discuss requiring a minimum level of support for those standing in presidential elections.
"Tell us more, CSP!". That's how I imagine you all reading this, by the way, and I'd be happy to. The Europeian presidency isn't the same position as it was before 2011 and neither is our executive government itself. There was a time when most anybody could put in a solid effort and perform at least suitably as president. There was a time when our government could be run by a small handful of committed individuals. Those days are long, long gone. Our executive government, in the context of NationStates, is massive. I didn't say big or large or husky. I said massive. It's borderline morbidly obese, folks. Knowing this, we also know that leading it effectively over the course of 70 days is a big job that only a president with a big vision and serious chops can perform to our satisfaction.
There are few choices more important than who we choose to lead us, whose ideas and qualifications give us a shot to move forward and achieve our shared goals. We can't afford to get it wrong. There's just too much at stake. If we can agree on that, I think we can then agree that demonstrating a minimum level of support isn't such a radical idea. It might just be the responsible thing to do.
Elections can and often are decided by but a few votes and in their final minutes. Allowing candidates with no support whatsoever to play with just two votes has the potential to change the outcome. Now do I think that Aditya's candidacy is going to effect the result of this election? At this time, I do not. I can, however, see a scenario playing out in the future that isn't at all far-fetched and I'd very much like to avoid it.
Simply, I propose the following:
- Candidates standing for the Office of President must present eight signatures, at the time of standing, from citizens eligible to vote who support their inclusion on the ballot in order to appear on it
- These signatures will be verified (without much effort, I'll add) by the Chancellery
There are certainly details to be debated but I'll leave that sort of thing to Drecqs and Malashaans to consider. In the meantime, let's not let our desire to be inclusive keep us from calling extraordinary examples of jackassery what they are or talking about a very obvious problem that we should be seeking to fix. There are many Adityas in the world and none of them belong in a race for the Europeian presidency. Let's protect the Office. Let's protect our future. Let's try out a very simple, common-sense, and easy-to-implement solution.
