CURRENT IC DATE: March 31st, 2007 to April 7th, 2007
The year is 2007, and the divisions from the 2006 elections remain. President John Cush won his reelection decisively in 2004, but the 2006 midterms saw the rise of the Democrats due to the now-unpopular War on Terror. Democrats with control of the Senate (52-48) and the House (233-202), and soon it will be an election year. President Cush is ineligible for a new term, and Republicans are confident that they can rely on Democratic infighting to cruise to a new Republican president.
However, something is brewing. The New Recession is about to begin, and nothing will be the same in its wake. Will you be a populist trying to change America’s DNA, a Republican hanging on to power, or a Democrat faced with the question of how to deal with what might become the most polarizing period in American history?
Play in the Cabinet or the inner corridors and echelons of power emanating from the White House. Or choose to be a Senator, Governor, Congressperson, Mayor, or any other figure with a hand in today's politics. Or run for office, from dogcatcher to the Presidency to fight for your slice of the American Political landscape. Create an original character, make history and steer them through... Twilight’s Last Gleaming.
QUICK LINKS
The In Character • The OOC and Application Thread • [url=Placeholder]The Congressional Docket[/url]
Please note: Roster of Characters is listed on the OOC
2. No real people or celebrities as characters. There is no Bernie Sanders that you can play. Politicians post-1980 do not exist, or have been replaced with generic stand-ins: you can play them, should you wish. Records and history are the same, including statistics, save in the places where player-characters have brought about a change.
3. Regarding absences- If you, for whatever reason, must take a leave from the roleplay-that is of course fine. But please inform us ahead and how long it may take. If you are found to have just up and left the RP, we may have to simulate how your character acts in votes per se, especially depending on their importance.
4. When it comes to writing; please do it well. We expect a certain level of quality with your posts. One or two sentences will not be acceptable, but we can be permissive-if your character is engaged in conversation, a sentence is fine. It’s also recommended that you can start a google doc with the other person in the meeting, run the meeting and then post all at once.
5. Please make characters of quality and substance. We don't want Mary Sue flawless characters who are 30-year-olds, models, former sharecroppers with military service earning a medal of honor and then returning from Iraq to attend Harvard. Those characters aren't very fun to play or interact with, and are flat out just boring. But on the other hand-no sabotage characters. Just because you hate Democrats, don't make a hopelessly corrupt and scandal-ridden Democrat with no redeeming qualities. Character models also have to be googleable, no photoshopped models, if we can't google your character model you can't have them!
6. No cheat-edits. Once you've made an IC post, leave it. Edits to formatting are all right along with typos but don't try to change anything major compared to what you have already written, especially if it has already been responded to. If your character said it in public, it must stay. Gaffes happen, after all and make your character more interesting.
7. If you are not sure if something is legal or okay, ask OOC first. Always better to check-and there is limited leniency for bad things.
8. No events that directly affect another character without permission first. In essence, avoid physical altercations and outrageous "accidents". Assassination is banned, any external action taken against politicians will take place in the form of an event.
9. No meta-gaming. Do not let the OOC influence the realism of your character's actions. If they are in a closed situation in which information is limited, they cannot state-specific statistics, for example. Specifically for this no actions can be taken to prevent the financial crisis.
10. PG-13 limit. Per site-wide rules, nothing too saucy or racy. You know it when you see it. Even IF your character is a racist or sexist asshole and its in character you can still get our thread locked over it.
Dentali (OP) The Sarangtus Lands Yaruqo Meretica Madrinpoor Skynautics •
Administrators are responsible for decision making within the RP, they collectively manage polling, special events and so on. They are your last source of appeal if you have any issue within the RP. Do not hesitate to contact any of the above with any question or issue as you may have.
MODERATORS
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Moderators are involved on an as-needed basis and help to moderate the OOC/IC and review applications.
THE PROCESS1. Character(s) introduce draft legislation in OOC to allow other players to offer to co-sponsor, constructive advice on language (not to debate)
a. Language of bills should be simple, at least two paragraphs
2. Once a player is comfortable, they submit their bill to the Congress thread, where it will be included in the respective chamber’s docket.
a. Respective House/Senate leader (i.e. Speaker of the House or House Majority Leader if applicable, Senate President Pro Temporore or the Senate Majority Leader if applicable) will determine agenda - all bills will be taken up, but this allows them to put more “urgent” bills to the front of the queue
3. House Leader/Senate Leader will say something along the lines of “The House/Senate will now take up the [Name of Bill], the Chair invites [Name of Bill Sponsor] to introduce the bill to the floor.”
4. Bill Sponsor has 2 RL days to post in Congress thread an overview of what the bill does.
After the bill is introduced or 2 days pass without comment from the sponsor, the House/Senate Leader will begin a 2 RL day period of debate.
5. Members of Congress (MOCs) may move to make amendments during this period. Need second. If motion is objected to, the respective chamber votes on whether or not to amend the bill. If ayes win, the bill is amended. If the nays win, bill language is unchanged. If the motion is seconded and does not face an objection, the bill is amended.
6. Once debate period has concluded, the Leader moves the chamber to a voting period, which will also consist of 2 RL days.
a. During this time, Admins will discuss how NPCs are voting based on influence of bill sponsor, whether it has support from Congressional leadership, White House support or lack thereof, and partisan lean of the bill (i.e. a super progressive bill will likely not have the support of most GOP MOCs, even if some GOP PCs sponsor or support the bill, and vice versa).
7. Once the voting period is concluded, Admin will take the role of the clerk and announce whether bill passed and vote breakdown.
a. If the bill passes, it moves to the next chamber’s queue, and the process repeats. If one chamber amends a bill passed in the other chamber (i.e. House amends a bill passed in the Senate), it must return to the first chamber for a new debate and vote.
8. Should a bill pass both chambers with the same language, it goes to the White House. The President has 1 RL week to announce to the OOC and/or IC thread if they plan to sign or veto the legislation that passed Congress.
9. If a bill is vetoed, Admins will discuss if there is a sufficient supermajority to override presidential veto (rare). If no supermajority, the bill is dead. If a supermajority to overturn a veto is possible, the bill goes back to Congress to overturn veto.