VIEWPOINT I The Legislative

The primary Legislative body on SimDemocracy is the Senate, of which is composed of multiple Senators, a Deputy Speaker, and a Speaker. The duty of the Senate is obviously to legislate, but they have other functions, such as their Constitutional obligation of oversight on the other branches, which includes actions such as conducting hearings for cabinet appointments, investigations, impeachments, and other things. The duty of the Speaker is effectively to keep the Senate moving and represent the interests of the Senate as its presiding officer.

The Speaker, conceptually, is the individual who can represent the Legislative Branch the best. At the time of writing this article, the Speaker of the Senate is Bill ‘Rocky’ Moor. Rocky is a somewhat controversial yet effective figure who managed to become Speaker in his first-ever Senate term - a feat that is rather impressive, considering the responsibilities of the office in post-Danyowave SimDem. I interviewed Rocky on the 31st of July, which will be outlined below, along with commentary by my editor, Muggy.

1. How do you feel about your time as Speaker so far?

“I’m very proud of where our senate has come. In the beginning of our term, it was a mess and there was next to zero order in the senate. However, we’ve gotten our shit together and have been doing good work. As speaker, I’ve kept our docket up to date, have maintained order within the senate, and haven’t fucked it up majorly. So I feel pretty good about my tenure as speaker so far.”

It’s interesting to see the path that the 146th Senate has taken. The Rocky beginning (pun intended) was reflective of a freshman Senator assuming the Speakership, but its growth has also been reflective of the Speaker gaining experience and knowledge.

2. What do you think of the state of the Legislative Branch as a whole? Are there any major improvements you think could be made?

“Institutionally? I think the Senate is the best we are gonna get. Culturally? I’ve personally led the charge on bipartisanship within the Senate for about two terms now, and I think it’s shown. Party politics don’t really come up in discussions between senators. I think the state of the legislative branch is an overall positive one. The only improvement I’d make is that senators take more care to ensure that they are actually doing their jobs the best they can, whilst keeping it fun and engaging for anyone who interacts with the legislature.”

Rocky’s assessment is generally a good one here. The Senate as an institution is at a great state, and its culture has been very interesting. Although, looking back on past Senates, partisanship in the Senate has been low ever since the 133rd. When you get into the Senate, you’re obviously going to be influenced by your party, but it is still your seat that you won and can choose how to use. 

3. What was your experience as a freshman Senator becoming Speaker?

“Nerve-racking. Not only are you learning how to be a speaker on the job (a much harder job than I first thought), but I also had to balance that with being a good senator. However, it’s been very fulfilling. It was stressful, but absolutely rewarded, and I’ve been very grateful for being elected to both positions by such wide margins.”

I touched on Rocky being a freshman Senator previously, but it’s good to get perspective. The struggle to figure out two jobs simultaneously (while doing them) is a tough one and I applaud Rocky for being able to overcome that.

4. How do you handle being Speaker and Senator?

“It’s been an interesting task to balance the two, especially in a way that avoids burnout. However, I feel I’ve done both jobs pretty well. I’ve said my piece on many bills, passed legislation of Rocky-nomics, and I’ve kept my voters informed in the process. My biggest job as a regular senator has probably been whipping votes on the legislation, and engaging in different hearings and debates. However, I think the jobs often blend into each other, and I get ample opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.”

All in all, a very balanced and grounded reflection of one’s experiences. Both jobs aren’t the easiest (Speaker especially), and having both of them simultaneously can lead to burnout. Killing two birds with one stone (Pigeon and Birdish found dead) is definitely a treat when in the Senate. Rocky handled this term as best as he could, and the record most definitely shows that in more ways than one.

5. What were the biggest challenges of your speakership?

“Maintaining order and keeping up with the schedule. Especially in the beginning of the term, most senators were interested in joking around and making the speakership as difficult as possible with several joke motions and bills. Recently, though, it’s just been waking up at 10:30 and remembering that I need to put up the vote, debates, hearings, the docket, count the last day’s vote, and post it to law changes. And in the first days of the speakership, I spent a lot of time figuring out what was legal, what wasn’t, and what the proper procedures were.”

Ah, the challenges of figuring out the job on the job. All first-time Speakers have been there at least once. The start is always rough, and when you’re Speaker, you have to go with the flow of the legislature you’re in charge of. The Senate’s silliness isn’t going away anytime soon, so it’s best to handle it with grace. Regardless, it shows that Rocky truly tried in his Speakership to handle the trials of the office. 

6. What was your biggest achievement this term, both as Senator and as Speaker?

“My biggest achievement in terms of legislation was passing the first Rocky-nomics bill, which set a great foundation for my future economic goals. As Speaker, my biggest achievement is probably keeping the docket up to date, maintaining relative order, and remaining non-partisan (in my actions as Speaker) in the process. But my greatest accomplishment overall has been fostering a bipartisan Senate. I have whipped countless bills this term, and not once has party politics been a problem. This comes as a continuation of last term, where I specifically got two bills passed through senators of a different major party. Despite the very heated discussions that tend to be drawn along party lines, I’ve managed to largely keep that out of the senate.”

Accomplishments are great. They’re the mark that you leave, making you known for something. The economy is an interesting issue, and an increased focus on it by Rocky in particular has been interesting to see. Keeping the docket on track is always a quality to look out for to determine a good Speakership. As I stated in a previous comment, partisanship isn’t of the largest cultural points in the Senate. The focus is nice, but in general, the Senate is very much about the individual.

7. How do you feel your Senate has done compared to previous Senates?

“I feel like we’ve done pretty well. We have been very good at keeping ourselves and others accountable and keeping the people informed. I think our senate has a group of people that genuinely want to do a good job, and I think it shows. We’ve had some landmark legislation pass through our chambers, and we refused to get pushed around by the executive (despite their many attempts). We weren’t revolutionary, but I’d say we were pretty damn good.”

A very fair assessment of the Senate’s performance. There will inevitably be a back and forth between branches at one point or another, and in some cases giving in or compromising is the necessary and proper decision to make. Overall, Rocky’s Senate hasn’t been bad. Above average, perhaps. 

8. As far as I’m aware, you aren’t running for re-election. Why is that?

“That’s correct, and it’s for a couple of reasons. Firstly, being a speaker can suck; you need to keep a daily schedule of monotonous tasks, and you are a babysitter of, in my case, twelve other people. Secondly, I am going off to college very soon, and whilst I live and breathe politics, I don’t want to burn myself out at such an important and unique time in my life. Lastly, I want to put all of my energy into Behind the Whip Media. We’ve come out with several articles that have gotten a ton of attention, we’ve also come out with an audio episode (with more to come), and we plan to expand rapidly. Deciding not to seek a second term after winning first place in the election and being unanimously elected speaker is not an easy decision, whatsoever. But I think it will be what’s best for me and my enjoyment of SimDem.”

The re-election question will always be one of enjoyment and burnout. Rocky’s decision is perfectly understandable, considering the duties of the Speakership, and Senatorship as a whole. We at the Bird’s Word wish Rocky well in college! And hope to see where he takes his SimDem career from here. Good luck Rocky! 

I asked Rocky a ninth question, but the question (and his response) will be saved for the final article of the series, VIEWPOINT TERMINUS. The next article shall focus on the Executive and will hopefully be released soon. We apologize for the delay with this article but both me and my editor were busy irl.