Join the new world

John Jay: The President that wasn’t – The President that was

May 2010

JOHN JAY



The life of John Jay is complex. His personality and legacy even more so. Jay’s life constitutes the highest level of irony: his rejection by one nation lead to his glorification in another—His twisted social life contrasted with his nearly flawless political consistency. As of May 2010, he devotedly two-clicks but stays out of the public eye. In this publication I will attempt to shed some light on the misunderstood, somewhat forgotten, and yet undeniably monumental “President that wasn’t – President that was”.

John Jay, often referred to as JJ, was born on August 29th, 2008 (Day 283 of the New World) somewhere in the United Kingdom. According to Jay’s wikipedia, in the Beta his original name was “Gordon Doolittle” –but he was able to alter this title upon the introduction of V2. John has been mayor, Party President, admiral, congressmen in many different corners of the world, two-time President of Singapore, Lt. General in the US military, 8 time battle hero and the list goes on. In light of Jay’s full circle from Britain-around the world-and back to Britain, and his inactivity, it would appear that John’s public presence has come to a close.

To understand the player, one must understand The RL “John Jay” (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American politician, statesman, revolutionary, diplomat, a Founding Father of the United States, President of the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1779 and, from 1789 to 1795, and perhaps most notably, the first Chief Justice of the United States. During and after the American Revolution, he was a minister (ambassador) to Spain and France, helping to fashion United States foreign policy and to secure favorable peace terms from the British (the Jay Treaty) and French. He co-wrote the Federalist Papers with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison. This dynamic citizenry was reflected in the persona of eRepublik’s John Jay. In each of the eNation’s Jay inhabited (UK, USA, Singapore, Ireland, UK, respectively) he exhibited the skills of an expert military man, persuasive politician, businessman, social builder, and outspoken critic. Indeed, Jay the dynamo worked tirelessly; evidenced by this 12 hard-worker medals and innumerable levels of involvement.

Military Life

Much of Jay’s life was defined by his identity through the military (and often more specifically, the navy). Indeed, his personal avatar was for several months a navy/marines logo. His career in the marines was very dear to him; Jay dramatized his battles and always spoke fondly of his comrades. Jay was an unfailing proponent of funding military personnel (i.e. guns for soldiers). Military meant structure and stability for John: and to him, this was good. Earlier in his political career, Jay went so far as to propose a constitutional amendment in the US that put the power to reform or change command structure in the hands of military leadership. In a somewhat condoluded approach to the commander-in-chief’s role, Jay claimed that his amendment would give “The President will have nothing to do with the everyday ops of the military. Nor will he have the power to change anything in it's structure” yet preserve some levels of control.

Later, (somewhat contradicting his earlier proposition—a rare occurrence for the consistent politician) when attempting his US presidential bid in April 2008, John claimed that “Military Re-Structure…is of the utmost importance to the Jay Administration”. Rejecting the bloating of bureaucracy and military positions and titles, Jay consistently throughout his life proposed that the military should be “Less officers, more grunts”. Although recognizing beforehand that this might be unpopular to the many soldiers who enjoyed various titles and ‘special’ divisions—Jay never faltered from what he believed to be best for any given Armed Forces and any given country. “Ok. This may get some heat, but I still think it's a good idea. I believe that the Army can run on less officers and more soldiers.”

John claimed he was “pro-war” when the battle was just, winnable, and productive. Ever true to his beliefs, Jay put forward an article criticizing then POTUS Benn Dover for not supplying soldiers with weapons. From what evidence I can find, Jay was at least temporarily kicked out of the military for saying this. “Some of you may be confused. I am not against war. I do realize that war sparks economies. But without preparation, wars can be devastating to an economy. I will fight for this country when it is just and we are ready for it. LOL Not really something I have to worry about, because I have been 'kicked out' of the military.” Apparently Jay returned to the Armed Forces later.

Social Life

John Jay, more than a military man, had a distinct appreciation for history and society. The most obvious reflection is through his name: a profoundly significant American statesman that not many modern Americans know about. Whoever the player may be: his appreciation of RL Jay’s foundation of the United States was immense. eRepublik’s Jay once wrote: “Since 1789, when the first vote was cast in a schoolhouse in Massachusetts, people have used their powerful say to elect some of the most influential people into office. That year, the father of our country George Washington, was elected in a landslide in both the electoral college (100😵 and the popular vote (69😵. He is just the first in a long line Americans who have held high public office because of YOU, the voter.

In 2008, the people spoke with their ballot and elected the first African-American president in this country's history. It will probably go down in history as the actual turning point in race relations in this country. You, the voter made that happen. Why? Because it is your civic duty.”
A beta-player, young John Jay was disconcerted by the dissolution of mayors (regional governors): “I am very disappointed that the mayoral position is being eradicated. I think this game needs a position like this to welcome new people to their state, talking it up with their constituents to hopefully get them excited about the game. Local government has been a long time tradition in this game from what I understand. There is no way that a president or a couple handfuls of congressmen are going to be able to handle all of these people.” Was John right?

One of Jay’s strongest opinions—consistent throughout his entire life—was his dissatisfaction with party partisanship. Early in John’s life he documented a troubling experience. “I had sent emails to many players, to which I received about a 10% reply. And of those, none were pleasant. So I was curious and looked into the different party affiliations of these people. They varied across the board, and to my own shock none were to any AAP members. My mistake, I realize now. But that got me thinking.”

As Jay grew in age, his condemnations became more intense. His disgust, perhaps, drove him into abandoning New World society. In one of his last articles, Jay’s view on partisanship became much more intense and cynical: “SCREW ALL POLITICAL PARTIES. You are the reason this country [US] is taking a dump.” Ever the critic, the former President of Singapore stated in July of 2009 that “I have seen many people and things in this game come and go in the past year. Presidents come and go. Even alliances come and go. But. The things that I have seen stay constant are the bad things. Bad ego driven people with bad ideas just serving to bring this country a little closer to all time lows. Bad policies, foreign and domestic. Bad invasions. Bad government.” John also goes to rant against the bumbling bloated bureaucracy (still consistent) and ignoring of newbies by high leveled players/officials. See the entire article, probably the most potent of all, here.

Government to newb communication was something Jay felt strongly about. According to him, when he was a young player in the UK he messaged the highest player in the British rankings asking him a question. Little did young John know that player was also, by coincidence, the President of the UK. The important and, undoubtedly, busy President took time out of his agenda to help young John. Much later in his life, Jay criticized US polticians for focusing too much on their own political battles and (what he considered, rightfully so) trivial and distracting online humor.

Another noteworthy characteristic of Jay was his knack for picking out the best the most capable citizens as his allies and endorsements. Eventual two-time, productive President Jewitt was one of his Singaporean VP’s. Joe DaSmoe was his VP candidate when he ran for CP in the US. A younger Jay endorses Justinious for his successful Presidential campaign.

Presidency & More Politics



Another thing about the Admiral is that his allegiance always really sided with smaller social/political divisions. In the U.S., he identified more with the military and with his group of colleagues than he did with the nation as a whole. In fact, he rarely posted anything patriotic and pro-American. In this manner, Jay was more tribal minded than most citizens of his time—and surely moreso than most citizens today. If it came down to it, I am confident that Jay wouldn’t be a pro-EDEN or pro-Phoenix politician. His political sphere was devolved. He never liked institutions bulky—smaller communities seemed to be where he thrived (consistent with his desire to shrink military bureaucracy). And this would explain why after failing in the US Presidential Elections, Jay went on to become the Commander-in-chief of the infantile micro nation of eSingapore. Similarly, a very young John Jay wrote an article condemning the dissolution of mayors and regional governments/communities.

Jay was bold in action. He acted swiftly and was never been afraid to speak out. When he learned that his Singaporean Vice President acted diplomatically behind his back, Jay promptly replaced him. After losing in his April 2009 Presidential election, it seems that Jay quickly went to construct the nation of Singapore and build his eLife in that society. For whatever reasons, it appears Jay felt alienated and ostracized by American civilization. In a related personality trait, John was quite blunt and when he spoke—you knew he wasn’t “bulls***ing” you. As a politician, this trait can serve as an advantage or a disadvantage. It probably worked against and for Jay in different cases throughout his life: and this only perpetuates his complexity.

In Singapore, Jay did what he arguably did best. Build. Like his RL counterpart, he was a founding father. A younger John once said “if you know me, I am an excellent party builder”. It would be incredibly tedious for me to list it all—it’s quite amazing just how much Jay had a part in constructing. Here’s a political pitch for Wyoming’s congressional seat made by a young John:

“I have been involved in polit5ics since my birth into this world, starting with the AAP. I served the AAP as Recruitment Director and also as Director of Party Finance. I left the AAP for personal reasons about two weeks ago, give or take. From there I went on to the UCP, where my activity has not wavered. I serve my party, I serve my country. I am currently over skill 2 in all three areas of eRepublik employment. I am currently a 6 plus strength army wise. I served in congress as the first V1 congressman from the State of New York. I accepted a term with the Central Intelligence Agency as the Director of operations for South Africa and Asia. I am currently ranked 7th in my party and 24th nationwide. As you can see, I am qualified and ready to be YOUR congressman.”

The first thing Jay did after leaving the US was create the Singapore Navy. Here is where he gained the title of Admiral. The Singaporean Navy was documented as having the following beliefs: “Loyalty to Country, Leadership, Discipline, Professionalism, Ethics, Fighting Spirit”. All of these traits can be found in Jay, particularly, in my opinion, the last four.

After creating the Singapore Navy, Jay promptly won a PP seat, a congressional seat, and then (in well-contested race) won the Presidency. All in all, it had been exactly 30 days since Jay lost his CP election in the US. And from April to May 2009, John Jay became undeniably unique out of all of the citizens in eRepublik history: John Jay will forever be the “President that wasn’t – President that was”.

Jay went on to serve two terms as Singaporean CP--afterwards playing minor, quiet roles in Singapore and Ireland. He now resides in the country of his very early birth, the UK. As of late May, he has been completely inactive for weeks. Jay had many enemies and many friends throughout his life--but few can deny his monumental impact as a citizen in the New World.

---

---

I hope you enjoyed this article. Please vote and subscribe! There will be more to come. If you’re viewing this anytime in the distant future: please still feel free to vote up and comment on eCivilization. Also, if you have any recommendations for future publications, just message me or post a comment.

-Politius

EDIT:

Enemies and Accusations
Jay had many enemies in his life. Just look at the comments below and you'll find ample evidence of friends and foes alike. John never really quite got over losing the US elections to scrabman...once claiming that he lost because of mudslinging and dirty campaigning. Jay also had animosity with Emerick. The two players had a bit of a power struggle: resulting in Jay being banned from some offsite forums--which enraged him. Some Singaporeans claim Jay stole from the country before leaving:

The following quote comes from a comment from Arbryn (see below):

"JJ is uniquely both Positive and Negative to eRep society. He has done a lot of good things, many of which are noted above with a majority hint of truth to them. But this article is very selective in its story telling and leaves out much of the bad things.

a few notables would include:
JJ intentionally giving Navy II the passwords to Sing govt orgs when leaving office so he(navy) could steal from Singapore (this is only why the above comment that JJ did not steal from Sing is accurate). This was very well known and JJ was never involved in any Sing politics afterwords. However, JJ did also later "steal" these and/or other large amount of funds from Navy II (effectively solidifying that he did steal from Singapore indirectly). If you can consider stealing from a thief(navy II), stealing of course. But Navy trusted him only to be used by JJ(just like many others in his elife). Even more later in his life JJ stole from his longtime eWife Cstar, who trusted him and stood by his side through all the accusations and at the first moment she questioned him he turned on her (essentially the story of his life). This ended up actually having some admin intervention and I believe got one of JJ's Orgs banned in the process.

Anyways, it was always hard for me to hate the guy. He could be cool at times and a good friend in appearance, as well as a pretty smart guy often with good intent. But damn if I can't say he definitely did make some effed moves on people either to prove a point or get his way. He could be real cut throat and toss people aside when they no longer suited his goals.

JJ would put Two-Face to shame. "

eCivilization Table of Contents