>>>>>[Politics and Biz, yes, and as it pertains to Prop 23. Names withheld to protect the guilty.
The Democrats have stated outright that they're signed onto it, wanting to "Heal the final wounds of the Night Of Rage in Seattle" and other such drek. Really, they're hoping for larger pay-outs from Federal Support to the community, as well as an additional SIN Amnesty that will net them a larger voter pool, in addition to getting the Gubernatorial office again after what happened with my Chummer Julius (Poor guy is in an "Old Age" home now, despite being a dwarf. He thinks it's the 2050s and he's a Shadowrunner, if you'd believe it.). Still no word on who they're sending forth as a leader of the party for Seattle, which is strange. From the murmurings that I've heard, expect work in espionage against other parties, and hiding away any of the embarrassing things that politicians typically get up to (Mistresses/Gigolos, proof of drug habits, illegitimate children, and so on.).
The New Century Party is trying to get some roots in Seattle, but is staying on the fence for Prop 23, waiting for a popular assessment. Their current rep, still temporarily in power, is a human woman from Newfoundland of all places, but is very charismatic in a "Of the people" sort of way, while still being very technologically savvy. She's also a magician of some small power (All those special effects at her speeches are hers), so she's attracting more people than you'd think, but not enough yet to get official party status in the Seattle Metroplex. Expect a lot of hack jobs against Spam-Ads for competing parties, magical support for the party (Watcher Spirits shouting out info on the party is a favorite of hers), and maybe a little dirty work against the groups trying to do unto the NCP.
The Technocratic Party... I'm sorry, it'll take me a few moments to stop laughing here. OK, I'm better. Anyhow, yeah, they don't have a chance and the only people that seem to not know it are the Technocrats. They were on the fence for Prop 23, but have given a semi-firm commitment to it, with some wiggle room to get out. But, they have official party status still, and their leader is a male Troll who had some minor simsense roles when the Orxploitation thing was big, so has some star power behind him, as well as appealing to the Metatypes out there that aren't happy with "Mount Humanis". Not much talk about the type of work they'll want done, but they've got a Technomancer and AI team on staff to run their Matrix and AR Advertisements which is surprising, and might detract from supporters.
The Republican Party, with a certain hated Governor in power, is pulling a "Stay The Course" advertising role, a few plans to re-enforce ties with the UCAS-Proper, and a few new ideas economically. I hate to say it, but from a business point of view, they have the best plan given so far for rebuilding Seattle from Crash 2.0 in ways of legitimate jobs and rebuilding infrastructure and drawing in more shipping. The rest of what's coming out of the Governor's Office, however, sounds more in line with the Arch-Conservative Party (Who is not running in Seattle, probably because they don't like being on the other side of a lynch mob), which isn't that surprising. Federal Support is heavy, as the President is also a Republican, as well as the Governor's overwhelming support for the Metroplex Guard and the military in Fort Lewis, which also gives him the Military Supporters Vote as well. There's a lot of jobs being lined up, from the regular political jobs of hiding secrets, to some out-and-out intimidation tactics against voters and other parties, mostly the Independents. Needless to say, the Republicans are giving a firm "NO!" on Prop 23, even from the head of the party, who sees it as another form of Welfare Grabbing on behalf of the more liberal types.
The Independents are a dog's dinner of options out there, with lots of biz going to anyone and everyone just to get their platforms noticed. Guerrilla Marketing is the key word for them, and technically illegal, so Shadowrunners that want some easy (Literally easy, not the "Will get you killed" easy) but low-paying gigs to get through some tough times can sign on for this kind of drek. There's other jobs they want done as well, but it's so random and unpredictable... They're all over the place with Prop 23 as well, and, as of yet, none have official status for being able to be on the ballot yet, but there's time for that still.
So, there you go, the Johnson's eye view of the election possibilities so far. Right now, I feel like I need a bottle of scotch and a six-hour shower to make myself feel clean again.]<<<<<
-- Money Johnson (22:36:11/11-01-73)
