Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 6
Ninety Days to Victory (Prime Minister Elections in Vendoland)
Topic Started: Jul 8 2014, 09:30 PM (1,131 Views)
Vendoland
Member Avatar

Good evening, I'm Russell LeBlanc, senior editor here at the Vendoland Gazette, Vendoland's number one news source. Thank you for joining us for Ninety Days to Victory, our ongoing special on the Prime Minister elections here in Vendoland. Over the next ninety days, we'll take you through an in-depth look at each PM candidate and each party as they work towards their goal, one day at a time. We would like to warn the audience that we will not be editing any content, so viewer discretion may be advised. It is our view that any editing would take away from the overall message and may intentionally or unintentionally affect public perception of the parties. We would rather let the candidates speak directly to the viewing public in order to let the voters form their own opinions.

Stay tuned to this program to see how this race unfolds. We only promise one thing: we will deliver the truth, whatever that may be.


[OOC: For the sake of clarity, any comments made by Mr. LeBlanc will be highlighted in purple. This will help to differentiate between Mr. LeBlanc, the candidates, members of the public, and other journalists.]
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Replies:
Vendoland
Member Avatar

56 days until the election

Good evening. I'm Russell LeBlanc and you're watching Ninety Days to Victory.

It has been two days since a group of men were arrested for allegedly extorting Angela Oviedo, the Progressive Party candidate. However, since those arrests, it is still unclear exactly what these men were using to extort Oviedo and how they came into possession of those means. One might think that the investigation would effectively end with the arrests of these would-be extortionists. In fact, according to senior law enforcement personnel, speaking on the condition on anonymity, the investigation is still open. This same anonymous source (or sources) tell us that the NIB interviewed the following people today:

-Wendy Wallace, former chief assistant to Rosann Gonzalez, Oviedo's deputy chief of staff
-Cole Smith, journalist/blogger for Falmouth Free Press, a far-left leaning news blog
-Madison Carter, office manager at the National Party HQ building
-David Burke, special assistant to Terrence West, Vivienne Tierney's chief of staff
-Kat Marshall, communications director for Kyle Walker

To discuss the peculiarities of this unfolding situation, we turn now to Quentin Marbury of the Mt. Xavier Globe and Gloria Savoy of the Seville Business Journal. Thank you both again for appearing.

Gloria, you've covered dozens of police investigations over the years. What sort of insight can you shed on the lack of information being given to the public?


GS: There's one important rule to remember here, Russell. If the police or NIB aren't forthcoming with information, there's usually a darn good reason. They're not sharing info because it seems to me that this investigation is still open and there are still bad guys to catch. And once they're done catching these criminals, they should hunt down whoever leaked this information. They just compromised an active investigation and may have tipped off criminals that are still out there.

Quentin?

Everything about this situation is peculiar. First, Angela Oviedo mysteriously pulls out of the race without any sort of warning. Then we have these four arrests and not enough information. Who are they? What exactly did they do? And are they the only people involved? I would like to agree with Gloria on this point and wait for law enforcement to give us more info before I pass judgement on their methods.


What do you make of this list of people? Can we find any significance to the people being questioned or should we not read too hard into it?


If we're only going by the information that is available to us, I think it would be safe to say the list was significant. These five people were picked for a reason and whoever leaked this list knew that these would be the only names we saw. I'm not sure I see enough of a connection between those people to draw any substantive conclusions, but I think they're worth looking at.

I disagree. Who's to say that these are the only five people they interviewed today? How many other people do you suppose they've interviewed? In every investigation, there is always extraneous information. I think it's probably safe to say that this list isn't important. Otherwise, how much harder do you suppose it would have been to leak if it was an actual list of suspects? We won't see that list until after law enforcement finishes their job.

That's our program for tonight. Join us tomorrow as our coverage continues. Thank you and good night.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Vendoland
Member Avatar

55 days until the election

Good evening and welcome back to Ninety Days to Victory, our in-depth coverage of the Vendolandian Prime Minister election. I'm Russell LeBlanc.

The Commonwealth Elections Commission has set the next debate nine days from today at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Avalon. All four candidates have agreed to the standard debate format.

Prime Minister Igawa appeared at a rally today for MP Isaac Seigel in Landingham. Seigel's seat is being hotly contested; he has been in a three way tie with Bonnie Oskarr of the Conservatives and Henry Klein of the Progressives for the last few weeks. It is the prevailing thought that Igawa's presence might give Seigel an edge in the polls.

Andrew Kent spent the day with his senior staff working on his debate prep. According to a high ranking staff member, Kent is determined to perform "above and beyond everyone's expectations" at the debate.

Vivienne Tierney was in Falmouth today, meeting with the owners of several local business interests to drum up support and money for her campaign. The event was also attended by a large and vocal crowd, who protested the closure of the Falmouth shipyards and the outsourcing of hundreds of jobs overseas. The protests were mostly peaceful, though there were a handful of arrests for disorderly conduct.

That's our program for tonight. Join us tomorrow as we continue to cover the elections here in Vendoland. Thank you and good night.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Vendoland
Member Avatar

54 days until the election

Welcome back to Ninety Days to Victory, our in depth coverage of the Prime Minister election here in Vendoland. I'm Russell LeBlanc.

Prime Minister Igawa met today with King Edgar at the Royal Palace. Since the reformation of the Vendolandian monarchy, the PM has met with the King once every few weeks to keep him abreast of everything that is going on in Parliament. Though the King's position is now largely ceremonial, Igawa's campaign tells us that he enjoys meeting with the King and that the King has "one of the greatest political minds in the country."

Kyle Walker was endorsed by the Randgriz Business Journal today. This marks the newspaper's first endorsement of a Conservative candidate in twenty years and the first candidate other than Harold White, the former Libertarian Party candidate, in twelve. The RBJ lauded Walker's center-right politics, though they made note to say that his stances on the economy "make him the ideal candidate for Vendoland's business leaders." Walker's endorsement will be a setback for Vivenne Tierney, who has been running as the pro-business candidate.

Meanwhile, Tierney spent the day in Everett, where she held a rally in which she promised the gathered crowd that she would cut taxes and "eliminate all of the government's wasteful spending." Tierney's platform position on the budget calls for the complete removal of virtually all social programs, opting instead to build up the Navy and reduce taxes.

Andrew Kent made a surprise appearance at St. Elise University, where he spoke at length with the students currently enrolled in the political science program. According to a unnamed source at St. Elise, Mr. Kent visited the school to meet with Caroline Federer, the head of the university's Political Science program and Kent's former teacher when he was a student there. According to the source, Kent and Federer have kept in touch over the years and Kent regularly consults her on political issues that he encounters in office.

That's our program for tonight. Join us tomorrow when our political experts explain how they expect the debate to play out. Thank you and good night.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Vendoland
Member Avatar

53 days until the election

Good evening. I'm Russell LeBlanc and you're watching Ninety Days to Victory

There are seven days left until the next debate and only 53 days left until Vendoland chooses their next Prime Minister. To discuss how each candidate will likely perform in the debate, I am joined now by Quentin Marbury, Gloria Savoy, Eva Holcroft, and Charlie Tanninghouse. Thank you all for joining us tonight.

First, we have Dan Igawa. This certainly won't be his first debate on the big stage. How do you suppose he'll perform next week?


QM: As you said, the Prime Minister has been to several national debates now and he's always managed to perform well. In the political game, where the electorate's focus changes nearly daily, it's amazing to me to see a candidate like Igawa manage to perform that well every single time he walks out on the stage. I think we should expect him to turn in another great performance next week and win the debate.

GS: I disagree. Igawa has spoken at so many debates because he's run for Prime Minister and lost so many times before he finally won. He has a solid handle on things, but he's just unspectacular and frankly boring. I think he'll do poorly and effectively talk his way out of the running.


EH: I mostly agree with Quentin. Igawa has performed very well on a number of occasions and I think it will be a safe bet to say that he turns in another solid performance. Unless the other candidates step up, I think the debate will be Igawa's.

CT: I like Dan Igawa and I like some of his ideas, but he's just not that impressive. I expect that he'll do fairly well next week and finish somewhere in the middle of the pack.

How about Kyle Walker?

Walker also has great presence and has a solid grasp on the issues. However, I think he tends to focus too much on the big issues while ignoring the smaller issues. Expect him to perform inconsistently question to question, particularly if they pertain to issues that haven't received as much attention in the press.

Kyle Walker is just too inconsistent. On some issues, he sounds like a true blue conservative; others, he sounds like a leftie nutjob. I think the debate will highlight the fact that the Conservatives are just all over the place politically. I guarantee that we'll watch his numbers drop like a rock after the debate is over.

I like Walker; he almost makes the right-wing seem palatable. I think he'll perform well and that he'll have great answers. However, I don't think the crowd will be receptive to the center-right platform he's pitching. Polls have suggested that voters are leaning to one side of the political spectrum or the other. A center-left candidate like Igawa can survive because he's so well established, but a center-right candidate is facing an uphill battle.


All due respect to my fellow journalists, but I think that all of you are wrong. Walker is charismatic and has the public's attention. Remember that only a few months ago, this was supposed to be a landslide for Igawa. Once Walker established himself, it very quickly became a tie between Labor and Conservative. Expect Walker to have command of the room from the start and expect him to win.

What do you think about Andrew Kent?

I like Andrew Kent a lot and I really like most of his stances on the issues. There's no question that he'll be the most knowledgeable candidate on the stage; he's that smart. Still, I don't see him winning. He's handsome and likeable, but he just doesn't have the stage presence for debates. It's not what you say; it's how you say it. Kent's biggest problem is that he doesn't know how to say it yet.


I'm calling it now: Kent will finish dead last in the debate. He's only been in Parliament for a handful of years and he's only been on the national stage for a few weeks now. Once those bright lights come up, he'll lose his cool and choke.

Kent has been a force of nature these last few weeks. The only people that seem to love him more than the international community are the people of Vendoland. Since Oviedo's unfortunate departure, he has seized the opportunity and turned the Progressives into legitimate contenders. Yes, he doesn't have a lot of experience in debates on this scale. He acknowledged his problem and has chosen to fight it with extensive preparation. Andrew Kent will win and he'll take the momentum all the way to victory.

I imagine that most people will think Kent will win. And yes, I'll admit that he has a lot going for him. I think he'll end up making some interesting sound bytes, but I think he'll lose to someone a bit more substantive like Walker or Igawa.

Lastly, what do you think about Vivienne Tierney?

I'm not a big fan of Tierney. I think she'll go for style over substance and make outrageous comments to steal the spotlight. It's too bad; she's actually really smart.

Tierney has the experience and the command of the issues. She'll make a great sales pitch to the country and lock up her win next week.

The only thing that Tierney will do well is show the country just how crazy and out of touch she is. The public never took Harold White and the Libertarians seriously and they at least had some positive things to say. Tierney will make some inflammatory statements and will finish last. After that, we can only hope that the National Party falls apart.

I'm not sure the country is ready for a far-right candidate. Tierney has done well to this point, but I think this will be the end of the line for her. Her far-right politics will simply overshadow anything worthwhile she may have to say. Simply put, she's just too extreme to win.

Thank you once again to Charlie, Eva, Gloria, and Quentin. Tune in tomorrow as we continue our coverage of the Prime Minister elections here in Vendoland. Thank you and good night.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Vendoland
Member Avatar

52 days until the election

Good evening and welcome back to Ninety Days to Victory, our in-depth coverage and analysis of the Vendolandian Prime Minister election. I'm your host, Russell LeBlanc.

A high level source in the National Investigation Bureau, speaking on the condition of anonymity, informed us of another arrest being made in connection with the four men that had been arrested for allegedly extorting former Prime Minister candidate Angela Oviedo. Due to the last minute nature of the announcement as well as our concern with protecting our source from exposing themselves, we do not know the identity of the arrested. Rest assured that we will have all of the information during our next program tomorrow evening.

Kyle Walker spent the day preparing for next week's debate. No members of the press were allowed to sit in, but a source in the Walker campaign tells us that the candidate did well and looks ready.

Prime Minister Igawa attended a cultural festival in Golden Grove today. The festival is held this time every year to celebrate the city's founding and its rich and diverse cultural background. As the guest of honor at the event, the Prime Minister was responsible for judging the best dish of food, the best dancer, and the best singer.

Andrew Kent held a rally in Torrington which featured a reading by renowned reclusive poet Herb Batley. After the publication of his now much-beloved novel The Green House on the Shore, Batley shunned all media attention and retired to the Killadonian countryside. Today marks his first public appearance in almost seven years. When asked why he attended, Batley said, "I can't stand all of the noise and smells of the city. Still, I had to come out here and make a difference. If Kent doesn't win, what will we be stuck with? Doing my part to making sure he wins is worth a day of aggravation for me."

Vivienne Tierney appeared on the Vendolandian Patriot Network today as a guest on the John Taylor Show. Taylor, a right-wing firebrand, quizzed Tierney on her stances on the issues. After confirming that they shared similar political outlooks, Taylor gave Tierney his support, saying, "the era of big government is over. Vivienne Tierney is the future."

That's our show for tonight. Tune in tomorrow as we discuss the NIB's latest arrest and the status of the Oviedo investigation. Thank you and good night.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Vendoland
Member Avatar

51 days until the election

Good evening. I'm Russell LeBlanc and this is Ninety Days to Victory.

The National Investigation Bureau has officially announced that David Burke, a senior member of Vivienne Tierney's staff, has been arrested in connection with the plot to extort Angela Oviedo. The NIB released the following statement:

Quote:
 
At 5 PM yesterday evening, agents of the NIB arrested David Burke, who we now believe to be the instigator of this plot against Mrs. Oviedo. Approximately six weeks ago, Burke contacted Dominic Yates, an old college friend of his, and hired him to dig up anything damaging to Mrs. Oviedo. When Yates and his co-conspirators were unable to find anything with legal means, Burke instructed them to break any and all laws necessary to uncover 'dirt'.

By hacking into her personal email accounts and physically breaking into her office, the Progressive Party headquarters, and Mrs. Oviedo's personal residence in Appleton, the suspects were able to find personal information that Mrs. Oviedo would not like to be released to the public. Yates told her that said information would be released to the public if she did not withdraw from the Prime Minister race.

At this point, Mrs. Oviedo contacted the Appleton Police Department for help, who contacted the NIB for assistance. Because Yates or his co-conspirators never concealed their faces during meetings with the victim, identification was relatively easy. However, even after we arrested all four suspects, we had enough circumstantial evidence to believe that there was a fifth member of this conspiracy.

Mr. Burke concealed his interactions with Yates through dummy corporations, foreign bank accounts, and clandestine meetings. All in all, we believe Yates and his confederates were paid approximately $2.5 million each for their roles in these crimes.

At this time, we will not discuss the specifics of the cases, particularly as it pertains to the details of the sensitive information that was used as leverage against Mrs. Oviedo. Also, at this time, we have no reason to believe that Mr. Burke's current employer, Vivienne Tierney, was involved in any way.


It isn't clear at this time what sort of effect this announcement will have on the campaign, particularly on Vivienne Tierney. That said, I think we can all expect that it won't be going away any time soon.

That's our show for tonight. Join us tomorrow as our political experts discuss the political implications of this announcement. Thank you and good night.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Vendoland
Member Avatar

50 days until the election

Welcome back to Ninety Days to Victory, our continuing coverage of the Prime Minister elections here in Vendoland. I'm your host, Russell LeBlanc.

It's in every newspaper and blog. It's on all of the radio stations and television channels. David Burke, special assistant to Terrence West, Vivienne Tierney's Chief of Staff, has been arrested by the NIB and named as the architect of the plot of force Angela Oviedo out of the Prime Minister race. Vendoland has seen its share of scandals, but this one is certainly headed for the record books as far as the scale and scope of it are concerned.

To discuss the political implications of Burke's arrest, I am joined once again by Charlie Tanninghouse and Eva Holcroft. Thank you both for being here.

We've heard all about the criminal implications of the case, but for now, let's talk about the political implications. What do you think the public will make of all of this?


CT: The one thing I've heard quite a few times today is the sentiment that Tierney was involved because one of her employees was involved. I barely even want to dignify that thought process with a rebuttal, but I feel as though I must. I mean, if someone in Dan Igawa's mailroom is caught selling meth, are we to assume that the Prime Minister is complicit? People commit crimes all the time and no one asks whether their boss was in on it.

EH: We're not talking about a low-level nobody; we're talking about someone who is part of the senior staff. With the incredibly suspicious title of "special assistant", David Burke was the right hand man of Terrence West, who is the right hand man of Tierney. Tierney has long been an outspoken critic of Angela Oviedo and has made no effort to hide her distaste for the Progressive Party. It isn't exactly a leap to think that Tierney, motivated by her hatred of Oviedo, hatched this whole thing in order to remove the Progressives from the race.

How does this announcement affect Tierney's chances in the election?

Right or wrong, the people of Vendoland are going to blame Tierney for this. Expect to see a large dip in her numbers tomorrow.

I agree with Eva on both points. Whether she knew or not, Tierney's name will intrinsically be linked to Burke. No one will be able to say "David Burke" without connecting him to Tierney's campaign. Tierney's numbers will go down quite a lot until this story blows over. The real question now is whether there's enough time to re-gain ground before Election Day.

How does this announcement affect the other candidates?

Walker and Kent will both see improvements in their numbers tomorrow. Everyone will feel bad for Oviedo and the Progressives, so more people will want to vote for Kent to spite Burke and his gang. At the same time, right-wing voters that lean closer to the center won't want to vote for Tierney now that her name is tainted, so they'll go to their logical choice, which is Walker. My guess is that Walker sees the larger bump and thus will handily take first place in the polls in the last fifty days.


Eva?

I agree with Charlie on the first two points. Yes, Walker will see an increase, and yes, Kent will see an increase. But, in the end, I think Kent will take first place. He has had the momentum going for the last few days now and he's poised to win over the voting public.

That's our program for tonight. Thank you once again to Eva and Charlie for appearing on the program. Join us tomorrow as our coverage of the elections continues. Thank you and good night.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Vendoland
Member Avatar

49 days until the election

Good evening. I'm Russell LeBlanc and you're watching Ninety Days to Victory.

Vivienne Tierney appeared at a rally in Seville today, where she spoke to the gathered crowd of supporters about her plans to reform the national budget and strengthen the military. It should be pointed out, however, that the event was marred by a large crowd of protesters. Though the NIB has officially cleared Vivienne Tierney of any wrongdoing in the Angela Oviedo extortion plot, a very vocal portion of the public has called for her withdrawal from the race and resignation from Parliament. Quite simply, they believe she must have had some role in the plot, however big or small.

We attempted to ask each of the three other Prime Minister candidates what they thought of the NIB's statement and of the protesters. Here is what they had to said:


Kyle Walker
 
The National Investigation Bureau is one of the world's premier law enforcement agencies. If they say beyond a reasonable doubt that Vivienne Tierney did not have anything to do with the unfortunate situation with Angela Oviedo, then I suppose we must believe them until they say otherwise.


Andrew Kent
 
Angela Oviedo is a dear friend of mine and it sickens me to think that someone would go out of their way to hurt her. Vivienne Tierney has made no effort in the past to hide her contempt for Angela. So yes, I do have my doubts about the NIB's statement. Do you really believe someone who runs as tight a ship as Tierney wouldn't know about something that was planned in her offices? Unless the NIB could prove one hundred percent that Tierney didn't have anything to do with it, I will always have my doubts about Tierney. As for the protesters, it seems as though I'm not the only one with doubts about her.


Dan Igawa
 
With the conclusion of the investigation and the arrests made, I can only hope that we can put this unfortunate situation behind us. I trust and respect the decision of the NIB and I would certainly trust their facts over my own personal misgivings about people.


We will certainly see how long this scandal will play out. With the debate only days away, it certainly looks to add another layer to the complex situation of the Prime Minister race thus far.

That's our show for tonight. Join us tomorrow as our coverage continues. Thank you and good night.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Vendoland
Member Avatar

48 days until the election

Good evening. I'm Russell LeBlanc and you're watching Ninety Days to Victory, our special coverage of the Vendolandian Prime Minister election.

Both Andrew Kent and Vivienne Tierney were in Redforge today, meeting with supporters. Redforge has traditionally been a battleground between the Conservatives and Libertarians, so it should be interesting to see how the National and Progressive parties will fare.

Walker in Randgriz meeting with voters. Randgriz is traditionally split between Labor, Conservative, and Progressive. Judging by the size of the crowd as well as the diversity of its makeup, it would not be surprising to see Walker place well in the capital on Election Night.

Igawa spent the day at the Gary Carter Naval Medical Center in Falmouth, meeting with staff and patients alike. The Gary Carter facility, named for Admiral Gary Carter, famed for his service in the Glasse Expedition, has treated thousands of naval personnel in its history.

Today was a bit of a slow news day and we should expect tomorrow to be as slow with the debate coming. Join us tomorrow when we speak to our political experts and see who they pick to win. That's our program for tonight. Thank you and good night.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Vendoland
Member Avatar

47 days until the election

Good evening and welcome back to Ninety Days to Victory. I'm your host, Russell LeBlanc.

On the eve of the next debate, which may or may not be the last before Election Day, both Igawa and Walker spent the day preparing with their respective senior staffs. According to their campaigns, both men are ready and eager for tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, Vivienne Tierney appeared in Geshawon at a campaign fundraiser with the Geshawon Patriots Organization. The organization has garnered controversy in the past due to their far right wing rheotoric, particularly their funding of the opposition to the Vendoland Civil Rights Act. Tierney addressed the gathered crowd, where she promised a big win in the debate tomorrow night.

But the biggest news today was in Duskvale as Andrew Kent made a campaign appearance with former Prime Minister Eleanor Murphy. Murphy is widely regarded as one of, if not the, most popular PMs in the history of the country. Judging by the crowd's size and energy, it appears that she still remains a popular figure, particularly amongst young voters.

To discuss tomorrow night's debate and make our picks for winners, we are joined now by Charlie Tanninghouse and Eva Holcroft. Thank you both for coming out again.

Last week, we discussed the relative strengths and weaknesses of each candidate in a debate setting. Now, with the debate tomorrow night, who will be the 'winner'? Eva, what do you think?


It's no secret that I like Andrew Kent as a candidate. He's young, he's handsome, and he's very capable. Tomorrow night, I fully expect him to shine and cement his status as the front runner. He'll have to compete with Igawa and Walker, who are both excellent candidates in their own right, but I think he'll come out on top.

Charlie?

I personally think that Kent's popularity is all hype. The debate will come down to Walker and Igawa. This campaign has been about the Conservatives and Labor from the start and I think that's where it will end.

I noticed that both of you didn't mention Tierney in your analysis. How do you think she'll perform tomorrow night?

I think Tierney is bright and clever. She says some idiotic things, but it would be a great disservice to her to assume that she isn't smart. That said, I still think she'll do poorly in the eyes of the voting public. The instant David Burke or any of the other extortionists comes up in conversation, everyone will remember that they have doubts about Tierney's morals or integrity. Unless she says something that truly resonates with the crowd, she doesn't have a chance of winning.

I don't agree. She has been unfairly cast as an accomplice in a henious crime and the majority of the public will eventually remember that she has been cleared of any wrongdoing. Because the expectations are so low for her right now, any success on her part will look doubly impressive the day after the debate. If everyone expects you to stay on the bottom, you can only go up from there.


Charlie, what is your prediction for the debate?

I believe that Walker will narrowly edge out Igawa for the win. Tierney will finish in a respectable third and Kent will perform under expectations for a disappointing last place finish.

Eva?

Andrew Kent will handily win, with Igawa in second, Walker a very close third place, and Tierney in fourth.

Thank you both once again for appearing with us. And thank you to our viewing audience. Join us tomorrow as the four candidates square off in a debate. Who will emerge victorious? Tune in tomorrow night to find out! Thank you and good night.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Diplomacy · Next Topic »
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 6

Theme created by Tue of Self Concept and ZBTZ.