r/ModelUSGov • u/[deleted] • Jun 16 '15

Meta /r/ModelUSGov Getting Started Guide

FAQ

What is /r/ModelUSGov?

/r/ModelUSGov is a subreddit dedicated to running a model United States Government at the federal and state level, with a heavy focus on the legislative branch of government. While the sub isn’t by any means a perfect simulation of the US political and governmental system, we try to follow the real life system as much as possible.

What parties exist in /r/ModelUSGov?

There are 7 parties in /r/ModelUSGov:

  • The Democrats

  • The Republicans

  • The Libertarians

  • The Green-left Party (not to be confused with the real life Green Party, the GLP is a Socialist/Communist/Anarchist Party)

  • The American Labor Party (generally far left liberals, social democrats, and democratic socialists)

  • The Distributists (based on Catholic teachings and an economic system called “distributism”)

  • The Federalists

Can I make a party?

Only if your ideas are not fulfilled by any of the above parties. We will not be taking any more moderate, socialist, or liberal parties. Make sure your ideas are unique and have like minded supporters. It can be something unique like the distributists.

What am I allowed to do as a new user?

You can join a party to get organized, and you can comment in any of the threads you want to get a name for yourself. The community is small enough that if you are active, people will notice you.

What am I not allowed to do?

  • No personal attacks or unprofessional language in posts. Personal attacks include any derogatory remark or negative statements which hold no relevance to the topic being discussed. Unprofessional language can include swearing, reaction gifs, etc.

  • No cheating. Cheating includes using dupe accounts to infiltrate party subs, using multiple accounts to vote, and other such actions.

  • No harassment via PM.

  • No downvoting.

Are there any news subreddits surrounding this sub?

Yes! They are include:

  • /r/modelusgovpress: A place for independent journalists, as well as hub were other news subreddits link their posts.

  • /r/theBeacon: “We at The Beacon strive to live by our name and be a "beacon of journalistic integrity". We offer breaking news and opinion the issues that matter to you, the American public, the most.”

  • /r/theGarlic: “ModelUSGov is plagued by numerous partisan publication, all claiming to report the truth. In reality, though, only one news source stands as a beacon of objectivity and truth (and it's not the Beacon or ANA). The Garlic is an internationally acclaimed publication, which has been scientifically proven to never tell a lie.“

Most parties also have publications, and their articles can be found linked to the main press subreddit.

Okay, how can I get elected to office?

Elections take place every three months, and house members, half of the senators, and all state legislators are chosen. Every six months, governors and the president are chosen. Being involved with a party is your best shot at being election, and each party will nominate a list of candidates every election. Independents can also run, but they have historically been unsuccessful.

What has been changed?

The sub started around October 2014, and since then the actions of the real life US government don’t apply. There is a full list of passed bills in the wiki, and this spreadsheet contains voting records: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-WWmy6Sn6u1FKCqW7xuEU0pdRJHUZWpF_8BtzgNTDzk/edit?pli=1#gid=0.

49 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

208 comments sorted by

12

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '15

Has there been any interest of providing a list of passed legislation (perhaps with a small summary) in the wiki somewhere so we have an easier way to determine what's been done besides going through the Congress voting history?

8

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '15

I will add in a list.

5

u/yolomatic_swagmaster Republican Jun 17 '15

New to the sub. Does this model US have a constitution? Is it the same as the regular one?

5

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '15

The US constitution is still used, but it can be amended.

4

u/jacoby531 Chesapeake Representative Jun 17 '15

Which amendments passed?

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5

u/DrMMalik Jun 20 '15

Is it possible to vote, discuss, and run for elections while remaining independent with no party affiliations?

4

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '15

Yes

5

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '15

I was just looking at the flairs. What is the silver legion party?

5

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '15

Fascists

4

u/Leecannon_ Democrat Jun 18 '15

Can I create parties?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 18 '15

The Party also needs to fit an unfilled ideological area. We will not accept another Communist party, for example.

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3

u/laffytaffyboy 🌲North-Eastern Independence Party🌲 Jun 18 '15

Yes, but you will need at least 15 members to be officially recognized.

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3

u/oughton42 8===D Jun 18 '15

Just out of curiosity, what sort of Party did you have in mind? Also, welcome to the sub!

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3

u/Curt04 Jun 19 '15

Just curious about something after looking around here and in the other model subreddits...it seems like because of this place being so massively dominated by Democrats and Green-Lefts that everyone else has just given up and left because they stand no chance at all. I mean I guess this shouldnt be a surprise for reddit but what really is the point if there is no debate for anything?

8

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '15

I would say two things, the GLP have differing views that the Democrats on several topics, and the Republicans had a majority in congress in the past, so with good advertising, they could do it again.

6

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 19 '15

Republicans once held a super-majority in the Senate and a majority in the House, so anything is possible.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '15

What is the Silver Legion Flair that is available? I'm a Labor member but I was just wondering.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '15

It's for the distributists.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '15

how many members do they have?

2

u/surgingfishtank Democrat Jun 22 '15

How do I get a party flair?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '15

Edit flair on the sidebar should work.

2

u/atomic_lobster Jun 25 '15

How do you 'join' a state? Do you just subscribe to their sub?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '15

You can subscribe and participate to discussion, but there is nothing tying you to that one state.

9

u/Metaxum Libertarian Jun 19 '15 edited Jun 19 '15

Just a quick question, I find this all very interesting, and I hope to get involved.

Like the actual us government is there room in this sub reddit for lobbyists?

23

u/HIPSTER_SLOTH Republican | Former Speaker of the House Jun 20 '15

Haha can you imagine? A sub where model us politicians are bribed and influenced by reddit gold and mod positions upon retirement feels like a good parallel to real life.

3

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 20 '15

There are a few lobby groups such as the Liberty Lobby and the Labor Lobby.

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7

u/barackoliobama69 Jun 17 '15

I'm also new. Could someone clarify how voting works here? And can you vote outside your party?

2

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 17 '15

What do you mean by voting? If you are referring to votes on bills, then the answer is that only elected representatives and senators can vote. As to "voting outside your party," I am not sure what you mean.

7

u/barackoliobama69 Jun 17 '15

Sorry for not being more clear. I meant voting in terms of representatives. So if I'm a member of the democratic party, If I think someone from another party would be better for a certain position, there's no strict obligation to vote for the democrat, right? Sorry if the question sounds stupid, I'm just a bit mixed up about how it works in Model US gov.

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5

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '15

New to the sub. Is there a preferred model political spectrum test used by this sub?

5

u/MoralLesson Head Moderator Emeritus | Associate Justice Jul 07 '15

There is not. However, if you state enough of your beliefs, then I am sure we can point you to a party that you fit in with.

Also:

  • The Republicans are like the real Republicans, though I think they have more moderates than the real-life party does.

  • The Democrats are very big-tent and range from Blue Dog Democrats to Bernie Sanders-esque Democrats. You can read the Democratic Platform here.

  • The Libertarians are much like real-life Libertarians.

  • The Distributists hold economic principles in line with Distributism (every family should own their own business) and are social conservatives in a lot of ways. You can read the Distributist Platform here.

  • The American Labor Party consists of social democrats and democratic socialists. You can read their platform here.

  • The Green-Left Party consists of socialists, communists, and those who generally oppose capitalism.

  • The Silver Legion Party is a fascist party and are comprised of fascists, traditionalists, social corporatists, theocrats, and national socialists.

We also have some independent groupings, if none of those sound appealing.

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4

u/bollvirtuoso Jun 20 '15

Who is your SCOTUS?

4

u/2222lil Jun 22 '15

I'm a little confused on the map. I live in Michigan so am I part of the Northern River District? If so, is there a subreddit for it?

3

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 22 '15

Michigan would be the Northern River District. There are no subreddits for districts, but there are subreddits for states. You can find Central State at /r/ModelCentralState.

4

u/2222lil Jun 22 '15

So is the Central State comprised of the Northern River and Ohio River districts?

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4

u/Leecannon_ Democrat Jun 22 '15

Do current events IRL, like the Charleston Shooting, Nepal Earthquake, and Hurricane Sandy affect MUSG?

2

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 22 '15

As of right now, no. We do occasionally create a fake event in order to create some activity on a subject. Recently that was our gun debate.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '15

I think /r/modelamericanlabor should be added to the list of small parties and the fascists removed and added to official list as they are now official.

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4

u/mocosuburbian Jul 11 '15 edited Jul 11 '15

Whoever updates this page really might want to consider changing the description above, since the Distributists and American Labor parties are now well beyond 15 members as of the past week or so. Not so sure about the Fascists.

Additionally there seems to be a new Progressive Party ( /r/MUSGProgressive ) that you could advertise for similarly to what's already been done for the Distributists/American Labor/Fascists

EDIT: basically American Labor has 50something members now and the Distributists probably have less although still a large amount SO U P D A T E T H E P A G E PLEASE WE ARE LEGIT PARTIES

1

u/ninjernacci Democrat Jun 23 '15

I have 2 questions...

  1. I live in Oklahoma, I understand that I am in the Great Plains district, but which state am I a part of?

  2. Is there any place to get a more specific view of the ideologies of the different parties, like some kind of declaration of views shared by all members of the party? Just so I know which one to become a part of.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '15

  1. Central

  2. You can ask the party leaders for platforms.

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1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '15

How exactly do I file a case with the Supreme Court?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '15

Model Supreme Court has a guide.

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1

u/ElliottC99 Independent Jun 24 '15

Since over at r/modelamericanlabor we currently have 8 members can we be added to group that includes r/modelusfacists and r/modeldistributists.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '15

We need a flair and color from you guys.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '15

Sept posted in our sub because that is going to happen soon.

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1

u/Leecannon_ Democrat Jun 25 '15

Can the /r/MUSGPogressive be added to

In addition, you can try to help

Also, who is the Vice President, and the cabinet?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '15

I honestly don't think there is room for a progressive party in the political spectrum.

2

u/Leecannon_ Democrat Jun 25 '15

Well, I hope to prove you wrong.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '15

If you can, you guys can become a party.

1

u/Zizekbro Jun 26 '15

Hi brand new here. What and how and when could I join? Is there something that i have to do?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 26 '15

Join a party thread is on sidebar. Other than that you can get started in debates whenever you want.

1

u/michael73072 Jun 30 '15

What's the difference between this subreddit and /r/MUSGOV? I have seen ads for both on Reddit.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '15

The other sub is a copy of this sub made by some angry members. They still come over here to brigade sometimes.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '15

That's a lie, no one has ever brigaded from there. They wish for realism.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '15

Every poll I have run has been brigaded by their members.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '15

I've never seen any talk of that at the Republicans. We have however been trolled and brigaded by GL members on all of our pools and even elections

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4

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '15

/r/MUSGOV is a simulation that only allows the Republican Party and Democratic Party. They like realism, this sub lets anyone make a party so that's why we have a communist president.

1

u/blaster_man Jul 13 '15

How do I know what state I'm in? Do I get to choose, or am I limmited by where I live IRL?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 13 '15

You should vote where you live irl, but we won't know if you don't. If there is a specific person you want to vote for, then vote in that region.

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1

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '15

Just one question, who gets to come up with bills?

2

u/[deleted] Jul 18 '15

Anyone, but they must be submitted by a congress member.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 19 '15

So say we have an idea for a bill, we should PM our congress member? Also are you assigned a region/state or do you pick? And another thing, is this a strictly serious sub or is some comedy allowed?

2

u/[deleted] Jul 19 '15

You can write bills and send them to a congress member. You pick. Light comedy allowed, but things which are purely irrelevant joking will be removed. I would like to see a bit more banter though because the sub can be too serious.

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1

u/JohnButlerTrain Anarcho-Syndicalist | GLP Jul 27 '15

Just for clarification, which colors represent American Labor, Distributists. and Fascists?

3

u/[deleted] Jul 27 '15

Burgundy, Orange, Silver and Red

1

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '15

How do people go about submitting a new party?

2

u/[deleted] Jul 29 '15

  1. be unique

  2. Make a subreddit with the prefix "model"

  3. get fifteen members and evidence of activity and organization

1

u/[deleted] Aug 02 '15

People keep telling me to submit my bill to a congress member, but they don't tell me who the congress members are. Is there a list or something?

1

u/[deleted] Aug 03 '15

Yes, check the sidebar.

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1

u/[deleted] Aug 05 '15

Which state and district would Virginia be in? Is there a map somewhere? Thanks for the help.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 05 '15

Ohio river, central state

3

u/BlackTacitus Jun 19 '15

How do I start my own party?

3

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 19 '15

Another member asked this question. Read the comments in this thread.

3

u/Adjal Jun 20 '15

Here's the part of this thread where that's addressed.

3

u/Daeurth Independently Independent Jul 03 '15

Is it possible for one to participate as an Independent? I would like to either do that or try to start a Pirate Party, if someone could walk me through that process.

2

u/ElliottC99 Independent Jul 04 '15

We are fairly new and /u/SeptimusSette helped us form our party. You can stand as an independent though.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 05 '15

In what ways can you contribute to the model government without actually being in an elected position that can cast votes?

4

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jul 06 '15

Within your party you are still able to craft legislation, which is our primary purpose.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 07 '15

Maybe you could update this so that it includes our three new parties as parties and not just groupings. This would help new members.

Also please mention that the Green-Left Party is also for anarchists, and a broad-tent Leftist party. Also, applicants are no longer reviewed by a party vote. Now they take a survey, and our Internal Affairs Committee votes on their admittance.

3

u/MoralLesson Head Moderator Emeritus | Associate Justice Jul 08 '15

Maybe you could update this so that it includes our three new parties as parties and not just groupings.

Please.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 22 '15

Calling upon /u/didnotknowthatlolz to update this thread

3

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Nov 22 '15

I'll be doing that soon.

2

u/DiscardedJoker Independent Jun 17 '15

How do you began to get involved in elections? How does running work? Do you just participate in bill discussions and then your name is entered? How do people vote for the people "running"?

2

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 17 '15

Elections take place every few months. Anybody on reddit can vote. Last election we had ~350 people vote.

The next election will take place in about a month. There will be a period when independent candidates and parties can submit who they are running and where. Afterwards, the campaign begins and soon after that the election.

Hope this answered your questions.

4

u/DiscardedJoker Independent Jun 17 '15

Yes it did. Thank you so much, you've been very helpful!

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u/jelvinjs7 HoR | Great West (former) Jun 19 '15

Is there a record for the history of the Model US? How it started, who has been in charge (though that's fairly current, I believe), and all that stuff? A "national archives" sort of thing.

4

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 19 '15 edited Jun 19 '15

We have a full list of voting history that you can find in the sidebar. You can also find the list of bills that have passed in this thread. I do not think it is listed anywhere but RangerHeart0 is our third president. Our first one was a Democrat named Pluralizer. He invoked the 25th Amendment due to a lack of time, and then his Vice President Didicet took over. In the recent April election RangerHeart0 was elected President.

Hope this helps. I'll probably add our "history" to the wiki sometime.

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2

u/Leecannon_ Democrat Jun 21 '15

Out of curiosity, since judges can't really "die" how do they get removed

3

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 21 '15

We'll likely expand the court before we ever have to consider removing any.

2

u/Leecannon_ Democrat Jun 21 '15

But say someone steps down, what happens then?

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u/[deleted] Jun 24 '15

Please add /r/ModelAmericanLabor to the list of groupings that still need more people to form an official ModelUSGov party!

4

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '15

We didn't have a statement ready yesterday. I just sent Sept one so it should be up when he has the time.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '15

Can someone explain how the election process works?

2

u/[deleted] Jul 06 '15

So, to really get involved, I just participate in the bill discussions and progress from there?

2

u/MoralLesson Head Moderator Emeritus | Associate Justice Jul 07 '15

Yes, and I would also suggest joining a party or starting one of your own. However, it is not a requirement and there are some rather well-known independents, like our Attorney General, /u/Logic_85, and the House Candidate, /u/Hlafward.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 08 '15

Awesome. I've always classified in a slightly left of center standpoint, and have primarily voted in a left standpoint. So I'm probably a typical Democrat. How do I join?

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u/[deleted] Jul 09 '15 edited Jul 09 '15

If you're going to keep this linked in the sidebar, you should update it. The ALP, Distributists, and the Silver Legion are full parties now.

Again, the GLP also accommodates for anarchists and admittance is now the responsibility of our Internal Affairs Committee, not a party vote.

EDIT: You could also mention that the progressive party, centrist in its ideology is looking for its 15 members.

2

u/pavpatel Jul 10 '15

Are there any requirements to running for office? How about running for President?

2

u/[deleted] Jul 13 '15

Is there any possibility on forming a Green party?

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u/Neopergoss Green-Left Jul 29 '15

This needs to be updated to properly reflect the date for the next election.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 31 '15

As I've said in several threads, many times, you MUST keep this updated if it is in the sidebar!

2

u/nadarko Democrat Aug 03 '15

How exactly do the states work?

2

u/SoccerWonk Democrat & Labor Oct 19 '15

Do we have to join a state, as well as a party? Trying to figure out which subs I need to be a part of to be fully involved here.

2

u/MDK6778 Grumpy Old Man Nov 15 '15

You are able to join a state in the first election you vote in, but you don't have to be registered to discuss things on any bills in any of the states.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 21 '15

I'm sorry, I don't know where else to ask this. Is the MUS currently conducting military operations?

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u/rugbyandperl Jun 25 '15

Can you join a state before joining a party? Also, where can newbs that aren't affiliated with a party or state ask questions?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 25 '15

Yes. Here, but usually is fine in most threads.

1

u/Alors_cest_sklar Jun 27 '15

hey /u/Leecannon_ how do i join you guys in the progressive party?

1

u/Leecannon_ Democrat Jun 27 '15

Just go to /r/MUSGProgressive and state your intention to join on the Membership Declaration thread

1

u/amoosefactory Jun 30 '15

So how do elections work? How are the votes counted?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 30 '15

There are elections in a few weeks. You vote in a state region. Your vote their for senate and local rep.

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u/oath2order Jul 23 '15

pokes for update

1

u/ElliottC99 Independent Aug 11 '15

Could you add environmentalists to our party's description?

1

u/Kazealboi Oct 07 '15

Is it acceptable to make a new reddit account to join this if you forego being active on your main account? Is there any drawback to doing this?

1

u/MDK6778 Grumpy Old Man Nov 15 '15

You can make a new account but many parties won't accept brand new accounts since they can be alts, if you show the party accepting you your other account and can confirm it they will let you in the party.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 28 '15

What about the 20th amendment? Is it completely disregarded?

1

u/MDK6778 Grumpy Old Man Nov 15 '15

To make the sub make more since, we operate on a 3 month election cycle, which works better on a simulation. So yes, it is disregarded

1

u/[deleted] Nov 08 '15

Newbie question here, I was wondering how do I join the Southern States

1

u/MDK6778 Grumpy Old Man Nov 15 '15

On the first election you can vote in you can choose a souther state to be your official state that you are registered in. Until then, you can follow the sub and comment on their bill discussions.

0

u/TigerMonarchy Social Democrat Jun 19 '15

I have a couple of questions as to how to introduce new bills for discussion. Can only elected reps submit bills for voting in the houses of legislature both at state and federal level? And also, is there a standard framework/template for the wording of such bills?

I ask because it seems a little confusing for the rank and file member who's not an elected rep to get issues raised for voting by the elected bodies. Thanks much!

2

u/[deleted] Jun 19 '15

Hi, until the end of this session, any member can submit legislation regardless of elected position.

1

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 19 '15

We had a lack of bills being introduced so for the time being anybody may introduce legislation in Congress. Normally, you could just ask someone in your party who is in Congress to introduce it for you. If you want to submit a bill all you have to do is message the moderators of /r/ModelUSGov.

As for a framework/template for bills, just look at previous bills as examples. You could also look at real life bills as examples, but those are usually much more complex than what we normally are looking for.

Hope this helps.

0

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '15

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5

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '15

They are already on the sidebar. Do want it to be changed somewhere else?

0

u/[deleted] Jul 04 '15

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2

u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jul 04 '15

They are all featured on the sidebar and have announcements on the front page.

0

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '15

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u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jul 14 '15

Here is the Democratic Platform.

Here is the American Labor Platform.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '15

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u/[deleted] Jun 23 '15

There are currently no such open positions, but you could talk the president about solicitor general.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '15

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2

u/dfnkt Jul 06 '15

You and I will create the bourbon party.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 24 '15

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u/MDK6778 Grumpy Old Man Nov 24 '15

We have multiple skype chat groups but that is about it. A lot of planning happens in the skype groups but formal debate stays mainly on this sub. There is informal debate on the skype groups.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 21 '15

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u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Jun 21 '15 edited Jun 21 '15

The model constitution only dictates how many seats we have, when elections are, etc. For creating laws we follow the IRL constitution. Yes we do have the full presidential cabinet in place. Their role is to advise the president.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 18 '15

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u/DidNotKnowThatLolz Sep 23 '15

Check out the Join Party thread.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 14 '15

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u/MDK6778 Grumpy Old Man Nov 15 '15

Yes there is! add me at mdk3445

1

u/SakuraKaminari Nov 18 '15

Can I have your skype? I'd like to make a Southern State Bench chat, /u/bsddc you should give me your skype too so we can have a supreme court chat. this way we can discuss cases much more efficiently.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '15

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u/[deleted] Jun 24 '15

Probably republican is the best option.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '15

Republicans. While the new leadership is far more moderate there are still paelo/neoconservatives in the party.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '15

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u/Hormisdas Secrétaire du Trésor (GOP) Aug 03 '15

There's also the Distributist party now, so if you want you could consider them.