How Aex Played Me

[Pichtonia]

This is scandalously non-scandalous, I don't get all the hype. Calvin writing an article about how Aex played him, in which he shows how he played Aex? Welcome to Europeia.

 

[Common-Sense Politics]

Sometimes making the right decision means going back on your word. Sometimes it means being a total dick. That's leadership, in all its imperfection. I'm ironically encouraged that Aex was willing to make what he felt was ultimately the right decision and then own up to being a total dick afterwards. That doesn't mean Calvin's feelings aren't valid. They are. I would feel the same way and I feel for him. I don't blame him for writing this either. At the end of the day, though, his feelings aren't what's important.

 

[Calvin Coolidge]

Thank you for the support, CSP, though I feel your interpretation leaves out that Aex made this decision to change Grand Admirals at least once standing started (nearly two weeks ago) and he had his platform ready, since he had already worked with Cat on the platform by then. That's not making a tough call because you're a leader, that's knowing you told two different people they both had the job, but hesitating to tell the other one who was actually getting the job until the last minute. That's poor management.

 

[Common-Sense Politics]

That's fair.

 

[Kylia Quilor]

I think the moral of the story here, as is often the case in Europeia, is that Miscommunication Kills, to reference a trope. It's a running problem in Europeia, I think - every term when I was active, it felt like we'd run into some sort of snafu, not always involving the government, where better communication could have avoided the snafu.

 

[Lethen]

Calvin are we going to get multi-paragraph articles every time your feelings get hurt when it comes to the goings-on of the Executive?

And while I think Aex did drop the ball on telling you sooner that he dropped you from his Cabinet, let's not get too self-righteous here. You were playing politics with him too; it only took me a few chats with a few different people to narrow down the list of "past Presidents" running against him to essentially you. I figure Aex didn't need much more time than that himself.

Perhaps subconsciously, maybe Aex didn't prioritize notifying you sooner since he knew you were planning a run against him in the middle of all of this and had sworn everyone save two, three people to secrecy (it did temporarily slow down the Europeian gossip mill :emb: ). He may have assumed that this was politics you were both playing, and you wouldn't be as bothered by it as you apparently were or are.

Who knows, he didn't write an article about your betrayal and dishonesty for public consumption and instead owned up to his mistakes when called on it (as I'm sure he would have done in private).

---

As an aside, when can I stop rolling my eyes at all the times Aex has been villified in public for playing politics in a political region in a political simulator? Villified by many people who have tried political tactics behind the scenes ranging from threatening to end political careers to fleeing to the borders of regions we are at odds with to making deals for positions.

Maybe Aex's mistake isn't poor communication or politicking; maybe his mistake is that it goes public when he should have learned by now how to keep it behind closed doors where we can all whisper about it amongst ourselves with the occasional passive-aggressive references in public.

 

[Calvin Coolidge]

Your concern is touching, Lethen. First off, I did reach out to Aex in private, it's included in the final image. He chose not to respond then.

Also, I was only "playing politics" in that I was being coy about running for President, since I wasn't even sure of the run myself at that point, and ultimately, it was nobody else's business if I was going to run or not. This is a totally different matter that I think we would all expect to be notified about if something changed. Both you and Pichto implied in your comments that my actions to hide my potential run for President and Aex not mentioning I was no longer in his Cabinet are equal when I think it's pretty clear those actions are not equal. Mine was a lighthearted ploy before a campaign, Aex's was taking away a promised position at the last possible second. It speaks to one of his first acts as an elected President, and shows a lapse in judgement that even Aex admitted was wrong.

But please, tell me more how this is just about my feelings getting hurt.

 

[Pichtonia]

and ultimately, it was nobody else's business if I was going to run or not.

I'd argue that it makes a difference whether you are vetted for two offices or the one he'd be running against. And if you go into detail that much you should also have noticed that there was no promise of an office included in Aex' messages either. He asked whether you would be willing to do it. You said yes. He didn't tell you that you'd be his GA.

Ultimately, you have tried to villainize both Aex and the EPP with most of your publicly available statements here recently. After the Senate election, you blamed the EPP. After you decided not to run, you blamed him and the EPP. And now you villainize him again for something that's, while unfortunate, probably commonly done. I guess at least we don't have to worry about active media if that trend continues. Personally I think it's pretty nice he still sent out a message at all.

 

[PhDre]

I would say that this is uncommon, if not unique. I don't know how often candidates / presidents tell someone they are the singular candidate and then neglect to tell them that they've gone elsewhere. That level of negligence is not easy to revise into something that is common, as much as I'd like to do so. I think that we have different standards for behavior if you think that this was reasonable - and that Aex is honestly apologizing speaks to the uniqueness of this situation. Sometimes, you screw up big time. This seems like a big personnel screw up that could so easily be avoided.

 

[Pichtonia]

I don't know how often candidates / presidents tell someone they are the singular candidate and then neglect to tell them that they've gone elsewhere.

But where did he say that Calvin was the singular candidate? You can see the logs; Aex even said they were still narrowing down the field.

 

[PhDre]

I don't know how often candidates / presidents tell someone they are the singular candidate and then neglect to tell them that they've gone elsewhere.

But where did he say that Calvin was the singular candidate? You can see the logs; Aex even said they were still narrowing down the field.

No reasonable person would interpret an offer of a GA position in images 1 and 2 as anything other than that. It is something that Aex has said he handled improperly because it is exacly that. A complete aberation from Europeian norms and it is not something we should consider normal.

 

[Pichtonia]

No reasonable person would interpret an offer of a GA position in images 1 and 2 as anything other than that. It is something that Aex has said he handled improperly because it is exacly that. A complete aberation from Europeian norms and it is not something we should consider normal.

I must either be unreasonable or not a person then.

In my views the reaction is either naive, in which case I would feel sorry indeed, or a purposeful bashing/villainizing of Aex. Simply because that's been a sport for some time now.

 

[PhDre]

No reasonable person would interpret an offer of a GA position in images 1 and 2 as anything other than that. It is something that Aex has said he handled improperly because it is exacly that. A complete aberation from Europeian norms and it is not something we should consider normal.

I must either be unreasonable or not a person then.

In my views the reaction is either naive, in which case I would feel sorry indeed, or a purposeful bashing/villainizing of Aex. Simply because that's been a sport for some time now.

1. He's president, get used to being a punching bag.

2. Yes, it is unreasonable to interpret it as anything else besides a singular offer. That is all. If it were anything but, would Aex admit complete fault? This is just bad management come to light, and that's ok if it's not a pattern.

 

[Deepest House]

I don't know how often candidates / presidents tell someone they are the singular candidate and then neglect to tell them that they've gone elsewhere.

But where did he say that Calvin was the singular candidate? You can see the logs; Aex even said they were still narrowing down the field.

When Cal accepted, that was when he should've been told it's not set in stone. Otherwise the inference is obvious.

 

[Pichtonia]

1. He's president, get used to being a punching bag.

2. Yes, it is unreasonable to interpret it as anything else besides a singular offer. That is all. If it were anything but, would Aex admit complete fault? This is just bad management come to light, and that's ok if it's not a pattern.

1. Personally I am; more one of those which swing back though. Although I should add it's not like this only just started with his Presidency.

2. I don't think we'll come together on this one then. Maybe we just read things differently. You say it's unreasonable not to see this as singular offer, I say it's either naive to see it as one or this is simply used to bash Aex.

Just like Lethen, I'd rather say it's a bad case of not being careful enough. Others are clearly more adept at keeping such things behind closed doors, or are just luckier that their contacts can be trusted.

When Cal accepted, that was when he should've been told it's not set in stone. Otherwise the inference is obvious.

Well, it seems like it wasn't to Aex, which he apologized for. Personally I don't think there's an obvious inference either. How others crucify Aex for the apology is literally odd.

 

[Seven Deaths]

Pichto, while I'm sure Aex appreciates your defense of him, I don't think you're arguing his intentions in this matter is helping, well, anything really.

 

[Pichtonia]

I can't know or speak for his intentions.

What I can say, however, is that this article and the discussion evolving around it are, either purposefully or unintentionally, an overreaction -- Which ever so often comes from the same individuals. You are correct that my comments probably aren't helpful, and neither is this whole thing. Truthfully those who villainize Aex will continue to do it either publicly or secretly no matter what is said. I'm just not interested in letting this degenerate into a one-sided celebration of how bad and insidious our President is.

 

[Sopo]

I'm actually surprised how many people are trying to put this back on Cal. Had this been done to me, I would be livid. It is, at the least, unprofessional and unbecoming of the President.

I appreciate that Aex has apologized for his lapse in judgment, but I can't help wonder why he waited so long to tell Calvin that he wouldn't be the nominee. Had he said something at the start of standing, this whole situation would have been avoided.

 

[Kylia Quilor]

1. He's president, get used to being a punching bag.

The first job of the President, the one they never tell you about, is the part where the President is expected to be one of those little stress balls filled with sand for the entire region's collective problems.

 

[GraVandius]

I'll give this a meh for the scandal rating. Both sides were playing a political game with each other. Both made mistakes.