Owner Account

Announcements for Round Seven will go here.

Howdy folks,

This is not a decision that I have made lightly. In conference with Nathan and taking into consideration my impending departure, the conclusion of the mid-terms, and what I see as declining player interest/involvement in the current reset (as well as the fact that I am taking a new step forward in my academic career, just got married, and it being the metaphorically appropriate New Year’s Eve), we have decided that now, entering the winter break IC and taking advantage of a real life winter break, we have reached the optimal time to announce the conclusion of this current reset and the launch of the next stage in VGS’ history: Round Seven.

 So, here are a number of points that I want to establish right now, essentially the terms, conditions, and expectations of the new reset:

1. If you won IVS in 2012 or 2014, that will be retained into the new reset. So if you just won a Senate seat, by default or actual electoral victory, you have your IVS bonus. That is not going anywhere.

2. The reset is going to be set in a time period where the Republicans control both the House and the Senate and the Democrats control (via an NPC) the White House – two years before an upcoming Presidential election. This way, all of your respective hard work will still be ingrained into the reset, and it does mean that a Presidential election will occur relatively early into the new reset.

3. Your war chests will be, in part, preserved – the exact details on what this will look like are forthcoming, but rest assured that if you have nested on a significant amount of money for 2016 there will be a positive benefit to this. Likewise, I will be grading outstanding fundraisers just so everyone knows what that they have on hand to take advantage of at the start of the reset.

4. I heard significant feedback from this election that the election rules are very difficult for new players to understand – I hear this loud and clear, so one of my last actions as Owner-CA will be to construct a far simpler and more intuitive election rules in conjunction with the new CA as well as a kind of tutorial explaining exactly what specific things do and how to think about them. This new election system and guide will also be built with extensive player feedback, so I am hoping that it could be the new gold standard in how elections operate.

5. Per my previous announcement, we have been in the process of taking CA applications and reaching out to interested people since I made my announcement. Due to this process, we have a new Chief Administrator and even a little bit of an inaugural AB team that will be taking the reigns for the new reset. This will be announced in the next few days along with further details about the scenario.

6. The scenario that has been brainstormed for this new reset is something that I am very proud of and I am excited to share with you – it will be a contemporary reset, but also something no government simulation to my knowledge has ever pursued before, so I think it will allow for new and innovative ways of IC play as well as new opportunities for players to create significant deviations from reality.

So, as my final message to you all, I just want to say that I love you all as members of this community, I am really proud of what you have accomplished in this reset, and I think we have built the foundations that will allow the community to go onward and upward without me being a direct day-to-day presence. Thank you all for your participation, thank you for your patience, and thank you for playing Round Six of VGS.

See you all around,

- Sweet Daddy, former Chief Administrator

2014 Mid-Term Election Results

United States Senate: 53 Republicans, 42 Democrats, 5 Independents (3 Dem affiliated, 2 Rep affiliated)

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Leonard Reed: “Good evening America and this is the Political Round Table here to join you for another night of election results. I am joined by FOX News’ Joseph Hand and Dutch Savage, host of the Savage Land. Joseph, Dutch, how are you both feeling tonight?”

Joseph Hand: “It’s the second mid-term of a Presidential term, I am feeling fantastic going into tonight.”

Dutch Savage: “My entire family died of sadness, Leonard.”

Leonard Reed: “Alright, well, let’s turn to the big breaking news coming out of Washington, DC tonight. We’ve heard some rumors from the ground that a number of Hudson campaign offices were forced to grind to a halt in the last week of campaigning following some financial irregularities – money appropriated to campaigns that the national party just didn’t have. Joseph, how do you think this will affect the campaign?”

Joseph Hand: “Well lack of money can be a big issue in the waning days of a campaign – staffers walk, fliers don’t get printed, ads don’t get run everywhere they need to go. It’s a big misstep, but a lot of campaigns are forced to walk away with excess debt.”

Dutch Savage: “Hudson was in a sense the quarterback for the DNC’s broader New England efforts after it looked like he had effectively sealed up the New Hampshire race against Anthony Buice. That’s a Senate race so it won’t have the same ramifications, but in a place where media markets overlap so thoroughly it could cause some last-minute issues.

Leonard Reed: “Well, financial issues are one thing but let’s talk about the national campaigns this season. Joseph?”

Dutch Savage: “I think you can really see the post-2012 burnout here. That was a big effort from a lot of people, a lot of moving parts, a lot of hard-fought contests. There was less energy, less variation – in some sense they relied more on some very basic ideas as to what their parties stand for. Democrats broadly used the so-called breadwinner liberalism approach, and the Republicans went with a more tax-oriented and immigration-oriented strategy, though I thought the immigration strategy this time was a lot more toned down than it was during the McKnight years, which I think probably helps selling it to a broader audience.”

Dutch Savage: “Absolutely, it’s not so often the specific policy approach as how it is pitched. There are a lot of people who are skeptical of immigration, even anti-immigration, who can get turned off by what we call ‘incivility.’ So that expands the reach of the message, but of course I am curious as to what this approach means for a party that has a vested interest in growing Hispanic outreach – when does it become alienating?”

Joseph Hand: “I don’t think it does, Dutch – I think it maybe alienates some people who are looking for a reason to vote Republicans, but this is anti-illegal rhetoric for the most part; it isn’t anti-immigrant in the way you sometimes paint it, and there’s a big difference there and divides in opinion even within the Hispanic community – it’s like you’ve said before, demographics aren’t monoliths.”

Dutch Savage: “That was a very well argued point Joseph, and I hate that you’re right.”

Leonard Reed: “Either way, gentlemen, we are starting to get results from the east coast as polls close. Let’s look at some of the House results in one go. Out of Georgia, we are seeing that the twelfth congressional district has flipped red. Richard Wayne Allen is going to revert a seat that was picked up by Dems in 2012.”

Dutch Savage: “That’s a serial killer name if I’ve ever heard one.”

Joseph Hand: “That has to be painful for the Murphy administration, who came so close to flipping Georgia in 2012 and incumbent John Barrow was a big part of that.”

Leonard Reed: “We’re seeing a Dem pickup out of Delaware, where John Carney faced off against Michael Castle in a state-wide race. Of course, this seat flipped Republican in 2008 and has been consistently held by Castle sense, but it looks like the state’s demographics finally caught up with him. Speaking of demographic-driven losses, it looks like New Jersey’s third and fifth Congressional districts will also shift back to the Democratic Party – these were high national watermark seats, so it makes sense that they would return to their base party in an election with lower turn out.”

Joseph Hand: “And we are seeing the same result in the reverse out of North Carolina, where another 2012 pick up – Mike McIntyre in the seventh – will lose re-election to Republican David Rouser. That puts us, thus far, at a net Democratic pick up.”

Dutch Savage: “Well not so fast on that call, Joseph, we also have news of a flip out of Florida. Steve Sutherland has flipped the second congressional district there, bringing it neck and neck.”

Leonard Reed: “Neither side is really turning up big numbers at the moment, but let’s look at gubernatorial races. Maryland it looks like is flipping to the red column with Larry Hogan, which is a big win in a state that has only one Republican-controlled Congressional district.”

Joseph Hand: “Of course, Larry Hogan is just another way of saying RINO. Pure RINO.”

Dutch Savage: “It makes sense regionally – if you want to find your liberal Republicans, most of them live in either the super liberal northeast or Republican-dominated states. Larry Hogan is the exact kind of Republican who can function in that environment. Speaking of liberal bastions, we are also seeing that Martha Coakley is going to just edge out Charlie Baker to win the Massachusetts gubernatorial election.”

Leonard Reed: “And we’re now getting results from Pennsylvania. Dutch?”

Dutch Savage: “Democrats made a big push in Pennsylvania, which makes sense considering that they lost it rather handily in 2012. This is a place where they need to rebuild inroads for 2016 and it looks like they are going to accomplish that. Not only are we seeing that Tom Wolf has won the gubernatorial race, but that both the sixth and sixteenth congressional districts are going to flip back to Democratic control.”

Joseph Hand: “And I am seeing on the board that we are getting numbers out of Maine – Maine was being closely watched as a possible Democratic pick up in the Senate, but it looks like that will be retained by Republicans. However, we can say that Mike Michaud is going to claim the governor’s mansion for the DNC.”

Leonard Reed: “Alright, let’s talk briefly about three Senate races, two of which we had planned and one we didn’t. Earlier this season we marked the Georgia and New Hampshire senate races as ones to watch because we felt that they were gearing up to be these big, game-changing races. Now, we can say that this isn’t the case anymore. Lucille MacGillicuddy, no relation I assume, will be taking the Georgia Senate seat formerly held by Jenn Williams with 58.3% of the vote, overwhelming her Democratic challenger at 41.7%. That’s a big number – Joseph?”

Joseph Hand: “You have to imagine that there are champagne toasts in the RNC headquarters right now – Jenn Williams was a big problem for the RNC. Not only was she one of the more liberal Republicans in the Senate, she spoke at the DNC against her party nominee. That helped make Georgia closer than it had any reason to be in 2012, and this looks like a return to the status quo that the Republicans will be happy to hear about – especially James McAllister as Georgia’s other Senator.”

Leonard Reed: “And out of New Hampshire, despite financial difficulties George Hudson is on track to beat Anthony Buice with 59.1% of the vote, a big margin in a state that has been somewhat sympathetic to Republican representation in recent years. Dutch?”

Dutch Savage: “Well it’s interesting stuff, Leonard. We had this factional battle in the RNC, and we saw some fascinating divisions in that dispute. If you are a hardcore pro-life member of the RNC, are you happier with these results than if the RNC had retained the seat? I imagine some would say so, since it creates easier battle lines for when this seat is up again in 2020.”

Leonard Reed: “And of course, a surprise result. Virginia has been trending increasingly red in recent years – solid Republican performance there in 2010 and 2012, really pushing back in a state that we have seen turn increasingly purple and, as some have argued, even blue. It was a sudden shift, but I think we are seeing  a bit of a retrenching in state politics right now – not only did Republicans hold on to every gain they made in 2010 and 2012, we report that Ed Gillespie – a certified Republican insider if there ever was one – has beaten Mark Warner with a margin of .2%. That is not a huge win, but it is huge news.”

Dutch Savage: “Indeed it is. When we do elections, we really focus on results on the coasts when we are looking for big Democratic shifts. Well, this is the east coast, it tends to deliver very well for Democrats and we are not seeing any signs of a serious blue wave emerging – in fact, I’d call it a red flood wall at the moment. A few seats were exchanged, but all in all Dems are down one and Republicans up one in the Senate. So as we move west, we are likely to see big Republican results and really, really hope that the west coast turns out for the Democrats and makes this a better night. I’m not too sold on the upper Midwest turning Republican this year, so I am looking forward to those results and I see that they are starting to light up on the board.”

Leonard Reed: “Indeed they are, but first some good news for the Democrats: it looks like they will be able to claim West Virginia’s third congressional seat. As to Ohio, its results might be a big indicator of where the night is heading for President Murphy and the Democrats – though numbers are showing that John Kasich is on track to win an easy re-election. The state acted as a Democratic firewall in 2012 and came in quick and strong for the President, and it looks like Ohio is not in the mood for buyer’s remorse tonight. The sixth district and the fourteenth district, two districts that didn’t flip Democrat in 2012 but have been demographically friendlier to Democrats in recent years, are both going into the blue column. That, if I am not mistaken, puts Democrats at their maximum potential seats in Ohio – a really interesting inverse of how we have seen things go in places like Florida, where Republican gains are basically maximized. And we are getting similar numbers out of Texas at the moment. Dutch, you take this.”

Dutch Savage: “Texas was an early priority for Democrats in 2012 before falling to the wayside – we also saw pushes here in 2010 and this year again. That said, it does not appear to be moving in the Democratic column – not only did Kyle Fitzgerald win re-election, but the maximum seats that Republicans can possibly hold in Texas due to PVI was retained – no pickups by either side, but that was just because there was nothing left for Republicans to pick up.”

Joseph Hand: “And I see on the board that something really interesting is happening in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota – Illinois too, by the looks of it. Leonard, what are the numbers we are seeing.”

Leonard Reed: “In Michigan, Dan Banishek came out of retirement for a second go at the Congressional seat that he lost in 2010 – he has done it, flipping the first back to the RNC. In Minnesota, we are seeing Republican wins in the seventh and eighth Congressional districts. Wisconsin has largely been protected by Murphy’s association with Warwick, but Warwick has now been out of the state for a while and we are seeing some really strong numbers at the baseline but just not enough competitive seats out of Republican hands to flip. In terms of gubernatorial seats, looks like both Wisconsin and Michigan will retain their Republican governments, and something interesting out of Minnesota: Jeff Johnson is going to defeat Mark Dayton to put a Republican governor in St. Paul.”  

Joseph Hand: “What’s happening in Illinois, Leonard?”

Leonard Reed: “Strong Republican numbers at the baseline, something we did not quite expect. However, it is only going to be sufficient to flip one district, the twelfth, to Republican hands.”

Dutch Savage: “This is big news for the Republicans. A lot of their campaign in 2012 was focused on flipping those areas – that fell short, but we are now seeing something of a realignment there. It is a process that has been in the works for a while now but it looks like that tree is finally providing some real fruit.”  

Leonard Reed: “And we are getting some numbers out of Kansas at the moment, and this is going to be a real shocker for a lot of folks. The seat here used to be held by Jackie Judge, who was a good Republican but sometimes feuded with what eventually became the party establishment. Well, we can say with some certainty – surprising certainty, I’ll admit – that Republican Mike Wolf is going to lose in his attempt to keep the seat in the Republican column. Of course, Democratic candidate Chad Taylor dropped out of the race, leaving a two-way competition between Wolf and independent candidate Greg Orman. I can report that Greg Orman is going to win the seat with approximately 51.2% of the vote. Probably due to Mike Wolf’s underperformance, it looks like the Democrats will also claim Kansas’ second Congressional district with candidate Kelly Kultala.”

Joseph Hand: “Well, it is always a strange night when an independent enters the United States Senate, but it is not surprising. Mike Wolf is not particularly popular, Chad Taylor wasn’t there – there were a lot of loose demographics that Orman was able to wrap up into a winning candidacy.”

Dutch Savage: “Of course, this will mean very little in real terms – Orman has already promised that he will coalition wit the majority party, and right now that looks like it will go to the Republicans.”

Leonard Reed: “And we are also looking next door at Missouri, where we saw a big Democratic push in a very gerrymandered state. We saw in 2012 a last-minute hail Mary by the Democrats to attempt to inflate turn out in St. Louis, something we did not see bring about dividends. We are not seeing those dividends this year either due to just how gerrymandered everything is here, but there was a real chance that incumbent Congressman Emanuel Cleaver could lose his seat to a Republican challenger and that will not happen tonight – we’re also seeing strong Dem turnout across the board, but not as much as they would have liked. Still, it is a solid step in the right direction if they want to compete here state-wide in 2016. This, of course, brings us to Arkansas. Dutch?”

Dutch Savage: “We had, essentially, two back-to-back performances out of Arkansas by the Democrats that could have both been characterized as once in a life time. That’s impressive, but the election this time was not one of those turn outs. Both sides had very paint by the numbers campaigns, and those are not going to get you very far – once that happens, it reverts to base demographics and those still are not there for the Democrats in Arkansas. They are more there than they were in 2010 when Angie Upshaw took her seat, but this is still a red-purple state and you can never forget that.”

Joseph Hand: “We had taxes versus government programs, and this is the same state that gave us Bill Clinton – no real friend of the social welfare system as espoused by many contemporary Democrats. It’s a different state, it needs a different approach.”

L:eonard Reed: “And it looks like Sammy Jackson is going to take state with 52.4% of the vote to Monty Bailey’s 47.6%, turning former Senate Majority Leader Christopher Ross’s seat to the Republican column. It looks like this will also flip the first and second Congressional districts, an important win for the Republicans as they seek to expand their lead in the United States Senate.”

Leonard Reed: “Speaking of expanded leads, let’s look briefly at Iowa. We had also marked this as a high interest state, but that largely fell apart against Republican challenger J. C. Kadar who will walk away with 57.3% of the vote. Kadar is going to have long coat tails it seems, bringing the first and second districts to the Republicans and driving Rodney Blum and Mariannette Miller-Leeks to the House.”

Dutch Savage: “That’s the worst name for a human being I’ve ever heard, especially a politician.”

Joseph Hand: “Well she’s a US Representative tonight, Dutch, and that’s what matters.”

Leonard Reed: “Before we move too far west, let’s take a moment to look at results coming out of Kentucky and Louisiana. It’s a bad night for deep south Democrats as the Republicans will also pick up Louisiana, a seat that had been one of the few Dem hold outs in that portion of the country. We’re also getting news that Douglas Hanlon will sail to an easy re-election in Kentucky.”

Joseph Hand: “That’s a shame, I kind of like Randy Queen.”

Dutch Savage: “Of course you’d say that, Joseph – he basically ran a campaign better fit to a populist Republican and then didn’t keep up any effort. This race was a real disaster for Democrats across the board.”

Leonard Reed: “Well with that, we are starting to get results out of South Dakota. Dutch?”

Dutch Savage: “This was an interesting race all-in-all considering that the Republican candidate missed the registration deadline and had to proceed as a write-in candidate, while Alonzo Boone built a campaign that was fairly reminiscent of the national Democratic campaign – not a very solid strategy for a state like South Dakota that can be very friendly to an ag-oriented Democrat. So, while Sorvaag had a steep hill to climb, he focused on a solid stump and making sure everyone knew how to spell an admittedly difficult name, with a few unique policy positions. This was close given the circumstances, but the results aren’t surprising and Sorvaag will walk away with 51.4% of the vote to Boone’s 48.6%.”

Joseph Hand: “I see the Mountain West is starting to light up on the boards. What are we seeing, Leonard?”

Leonard Reed: “On another night with stronger east coast numbers we might call this a red mirage, but this looks real to me. Ryan Zinke is going to pick up the Montana-at-Large seat, Mia Love will claim Utah’s fourth congressional district, Cresent Hardy in Nevada’s fourth as well –“

Dutch Savage: “I take back what I said about Mariannette being the worst name I’ve ever heard.”

Leonard Reed: “These are small victories for the Republicans, but they set the stage. It’s not all bad news for the Dems, however, as they pick up Colorado’s sixth with Andrew Romanoff. At this point, we are at a net five gain for Republicans in the House as we head into Arizona and California, meaning that there is a real opportunity for the Democrats to turn this around and reclaim the House of Representatives, given that California is a much more divided state in terms of representation.”

Dutch Savage: “I think red mirage might have been the right terminology, Leonard.”

Joseph Hand: “Well, we are entering a part of the country where the Republican effort outmatched the Democratic strategy, and that is going to matter when this all comes out in the wash. I think Democrats largely slept on this portion of the country in relation to the Republican output.”

Leonard Reed: “Well gentlemen, speculate no longer as we are getting results. It looks like in Arizona we are going to see a return to a Republican norm, as Andy Tobin defeats Ann Kirkpatrick in the first Congressional district and Wendy Rogers is going to surpass Kyrsten Sinema in the ninth. Two big wins in a state that left the Republican corner in 2012.”

Dutch Savage: “Well that’s not a good start.”

Leonard Reed: “And in California, we are coming down the home stretch to the final results of the night. We are looking specifically at seats that are likely to be close due to the PVI, and we are seeing some numbers that are showing a strong Republican outing. Of these, eight in particular are looking like they might have big results – and we have them coming in and can make projections: the third, seventh, ninth, twenty-fourth, twenty-sixth, thirty-first, thirty-sixth, and fifty-second Congressional districts are all going to flip Republican, which is a big moment and flips the balance to a net gain of fifteen seats, a pretty good result for a party that has now held the Congressional majority for the better part of the last two decades.”

Dutch Savage: “That includes the seat held by Barbara Lee, so this could have big ramifications for progressive voices in the coming term.”

Leonard Reed: “Indeed it could, Dutch, but that is all the time we have for tonight. Thank you America for turning in, and we will be back soon with the start of the 2016 season.”

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Howdy everyone,

This is just a quick reminder that House turns are due tonight. 

- Ed

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Politics Snapshots:

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Same-Sex Marriage Cases; Looks into Unifying Multiple Cases into One

               Following a year in which many state and federal courts overturned same-sex marriage bans throughout the United States, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the cases in bulk to determine the issue for the near future. In advance of the case, increasing attention has been paid to Judges Anthony Kennedy and Leah Ward Sears, both seen as possible swing votes on the final decision. Kennedy has historically been a supporter of gay rights from the bench despite his Republican affiliation, while Ward Sears received some controversy during her nomination hearing for her moderate, even waffling, positions on gay rights. Additionally, any joined case is perceived as being particularly difficult to navigate, covering a variety of bans ranging from the constitutional to the public referenda, with various levels of appeal and stays at work in the present process. Some experts have speculated that the Court will have two pursue two large cases rather than one single case, especially due to the uncertainties revolving around the moderate faction.

Grand Juries in Missouri and New York Decline to Bring Charges Against Officers Involved in Killing of Michael Brown; Eric Garner

               Black Lives Matter protests had largely lulled through the month of November, as activists and their opponents waited with bated breath to see the Grand Jury results. Protests ignited again, however, after neither grand jury approved charges against officers involved in the killing of either man, both of whom were determined to be unarmed. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has reportedly activated the Missouri National Guard in advance of the announcement, believing that post-Grand Jury results could throw fuel on a presently simmering fire in Ferguson. The only serious violence reported as yet, however, has occurred in New York where Ismaayil Brinsley, 28, shot and killed two NYPD officers in retaliation for the death of Eric Garner. 

Q4 2014

National:
- One World Trade Center opens in New York, New York.
- A federal report on the quality of education provided to student athletes reveals pervasive corruption within the system, the most notable discovery being the fact that student athletes at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill were enrolled in non-existent courses.
- Domestic terrorist Erin Frein is arrested in Pennsylvania.
- Islamic services are incorporated into the inter-denominational services held at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
- Ricky Jackson, a convicted murderer, is released after thirty-nine years of imprisonment after it is determined that he was wrongfully convicted; Jackson’s thirty-nine years set a new record for most amount of time imprisoned in the United States on proven wrongful conviction.
- The Texas Board of Education approves a new textbook that has received extensive criticism for its portrayal of Muslims and its assertion that Moses was critical to the development of democracy in America.
- Voters in Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Nebraska, and South Dakota vote to increase the state minimum wage.

International:
- Indian labor activist Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai share Nobel Peace Price, awarded for their advocacy of child rights.  
- Jean-Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier dies while awaiting trial in Haiti; the former dictator returned to the island nation three years ago.

Human Interest:
- Pope Paul VI beatified in a ceremony in Rome, a move met with some controversy given the prior Pope’s insistence on implementing Vatican II.

Entertainment:
- A massive data breach against Sony Pictures leads to the circulation of thousands of e-mails and internal documents on the open web; it is estimated that the total cost of the hack to Sony is in the neighborhood of one hundred million dollars.
- British musicians Jack Bruce and Joe Cocker both die.
- Bill Cosby resigns from Temple University Board of Regents due to mounting sexual harassment accusations.

Business:
- Microsoft and Sony serves both suffer a massive data breach in conjunction with a DDOS attack; hacker group Lizard Squad takes credit. The breach was unrelated to the previous attack on Sony e-mail and document servers
- Mt. Gox, the largest Bitcoin trading server on the internet, loses $450,000,000,000 in Bitcoin to a hacker-initiated theft and enters bankruptcy; investigators believe that they might be able to recover up to $100,000,000,000 in lost value.
- Alibaba breaks the record for the largest IPO in stock market history, initiating trading at a market value of $25,000,000,000.

Science and Technology:
- Philae, an unmanned craft from private space company Rosetta, successfully lands on a comet – this is the first such accomplishment in human history.

Sports:
- The San Francisco Giants defeat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 in the World Series.

Looks good, approved and welcome. 

Hey folks, since I delayed election results I will also delay the start of the winter recess - we will still be breaking on 24th-25th of December, but we will begin the winter recess on December 30th to give folks New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day. 

Welcome back and approved. 

Howdy folks,

In consultation with the remaining candidates, we are moving back Senate results to coincide with the House results for a larger, single event on the 29th. Related, due to default, Recks also advances to the winner circle. 

(Note: this announcement originally said 28th - this was in error)

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Sorry to see you go. Processed. 

Understood and processed. 

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