eNational Primary System - Part 1 - Land of Opportunity
Ananias
Over the next couple of days, I will be publishing a four part series of articles regarding the value of an eNational Primary System in order to expand the public discourse regarding the congressional election methodology originally introduced by President Scrabman in this article, and being discussed and developed by a committee of outstanding political party representatives and facilitated with the exceptional leadership of Presidential appointee Department of Education Secretary Tiacha.
Let’s start a conversation about this innovative approach to elections America.
Perhaps nowhere in eRepublik do the positive aspects of RL ideals being projected on in-game mechanics manifest themselves than in the civic opportunities afforded eUnited States citizens. To co-opt a worn out RL cliché:
The eUnited States of America is the land of opportunity.
By any other name, whether “freedom” or “liberty” or “equality”, the ideal we are most passionate about, as eUS citizens, is the ubiquitous nature and exercise of opportunity. We are addicted to the ideal of opportunity, whether it be the opportunity to communicate our opinions, the opportunity to conduct our eLife as we choose and, more specifically to this article the opportunity to actively participate in the selection of our representatives and the governing of our nation.
We often adhere to a strict defense of our ideal of “wide open spaces” especially as it relates to our paramount exercise of civic opportunity, the vote. I recently saw a thread on the eUSA Forums that raised the question of why most of the major political parties characterized themselves as “Libertarian” in ideology. The response?
No political party wants to be characterized as “Authoritarian”.
In fact, to identify a party as “Authoritarian” is ostensibly a recipe for failure within the confines of the eUnited States of America, because it limits the scope of our RL ideal of opportunity to the few, rather than the plurality. Americans crave autonomy and opportunity, it is mapped into our very genetic code as a culture.
The most unfortunate, and sometimes frustrating, obstacle to our shared goal of opportunity for all is the inexplicable barriers erected by the developers of eRepublik to opportunity, and the parallel development of national vulnerability as a consequence for applying the “wide open spaces” mentality in the political sphere.
For example, in RL, if I decide to run as the congressional representative for my state, I can simply pay a fee, perhaps gather a few signatures, and develop a statement of ideology, and in the next election, since I am over the age of twenty-five, my name will be present on the ballot during the succeeding election. I would be provided an equal opportunity to garner the vote sufficient to be selected to office regardless of my political affiliation. In eRepublik, however, the in-game political mechanisms only allow for the top five parties, ranked by membership, in a nation to put forth candidates for office; often relegating clearly superior candidates affiliated with smaller parties to the uncomfortable position of seeking accommodation by one of the major parties for the opportunity of candidacy.
As the Party President of the United States Workers Party, I can confidently state that, although I may disagree with their ideology, the Federalists, the Nationalists and the Socialists should be provided the opportunity to put forth their best candidates without the encumbrance of moderating their viewpoint to pander to the leaders of the major parties for the nominal reward of accommodation. If a party has identified and developed quality candidates to put forth for the decision of the eUS voter as to their merit…then regardless of whether their party membership is twenty, or two thousand, the candidate should be on the ballot.
That is reason #1 that I, even in the face of reticence from my own party, that I have come our firmly in support of an eNational Primary System. As an eUS citizen, and even as the presiding officer of the largest political party in the New World, I am an ardent supporter and defender of the ideal of opportunity…and more so, where opportunity is unfairly constrained by game mechanics, it is our right…and our responsibility to create alternative methods of opening new avenues of opportunity.
The eNational Primary System being developed will allow for everyone, regardless of party affiliation, to be provided the opportunity to run for office without the humiliating requirements of seeking accommodation by a top five party. If you are a quality candidate, the eUS citizens deserve the opportunity to decide whether or not they want you to represent them, not a major Party President.
I appreciate your votes, subscriptions and comments!
Next installment: Pre-empting eUS Political Vulnerability.
Thank you for you time,
Ananias - Congressman for Florida
Party President, United States Workers Party
Comments
pertamaxx?
2nd 🙂
Thirdamaxx 🙂
Excellent article Ananias! I'm still not convinced that because of the rugged individualism of the nation, that it's possible to implement a primary system. However, with that said, I do think that it would be in the best interest of the people to come together to work out a system to prevent the dangers of a PTO. I look forward to reading the next installment.
fivamaxx
Well put, Ananias. Much more elegantly put that I could have written it. Its an honor to work with you.
I believe that through the development of a primary system, we can truly bring equality to all; as well as help address some of the other issues we have every 25th of the month.
Amen
Ananias, this is an excellent article.
While I don't share in your optimism of the likelihood of this working, I'm willing to do my best to give it a shot. If this idea works, it would help us tremendously.
My party a ready does somthing like this
I went back and read scrab's article, and then read yours, and I have no idea what this primary system is supposed to be
:As the Party President of the United States Workers Party, I can confidently state that, although I may disagree with their ideology, the Federalists, the Nationalists and the Socialists should be provided the opportunity to put forth their best candidates"
This!!!
The USWP has done a great deal to accommodate the federalist incumbents this month and for that I look forward to a further explanation of this system.
Thank you all for the comments so far. Thank you especially to Tiacha and Gaius for their outstanding leadership, you are, as always, great representaives of the Federalist Party and the eUS in general.
@Emerick - "I have no idea what this primary system is supposed to be"
The focus of these articles is to lay out the challenges I perceive that we currently face, and why I believe that a solution lies in the ongoing development of an eNational Primary System. I assure you that by the end of the four party series you will have a much clearer understanding of the possible procedure and structure of the system, however, for now, I want to focus my readers attention on issues which require alternative remedies for which the eNational Primary System may just be one of the solutions necessary.
Thank you again for your comments and votes, I appreciate your time in review.
I look forward to examining the details of such a system.
Great article Ananias. I share some of the doubts about the feasibility of a system like this, but I like the ideal. After reading innumerable articles rife with domestic squabbling and downright nastiness, it's hard for me to imagine inter-party cooperation that wasn't grounded in stictly enforceable rules. But I was never much of an optimist. I do see the benefit here and I hope it becomes a workable, successful system.
15amax
It sounds like a great idea. I just don't know how it would be implemented.
Maybe that's in an upcoming article.
JBB
A Primary system is a brilliant idea!
It'll also serve as protection from PTOs! 😃
Glad to see support of more open and unrestrained elections - Voted, already subscribed.
Yeah, that's actually a pretty good idea.
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/america-it-s-time-for-us-to-step-up-720618/1/20" target="_blank">http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/amer[..]1/20
You are a visionary Vincent, great article! Thanks for reading and I would be interested in your feedback on my points throughout the series. Thanks!
Voted, very good stuff.
Dude just join the UIP. We do primaries ever single election!