FREEK FOR PREZ 2016
Let me just say first of all, this has been, well, there's never been a more humbling moment in my life, not only humbled by the extent of what has happened tonight. Even if it had been the cliffhanger that all of us, I think, were expecting, it would have been the same way. But just to have had the support of the people of this country. I consider the trust you have placed in me sacred and I give you my sacred oath that I will do my utmost to justify your faith.
Earlier this evening, I spoke on the phone with President Badspot. The president pledged the utmost in cooperation in the transition that will take place in these coming months. I offered him my own cooperation. He graciously said that he wanted this to be the...
[interrupted by applause as someone showed him a map of the electoral vote].
When that began to slide, I thought the world was going out just as I was getting in.
As I say, the president was most gracious about this. And now, all across Blockland, there are some people that I owe a great debt of thanks to. There they are, they are meeting tonight in our national headquarters in ACM City, Beta City 16, Pyramid, Facechild House, in Rising Lava servers, and in the Freebuilds, to all of them who worked so tirelessly, literally hundreds of thousands of Blockheads, and I've seen them at work throughout the game on this campaign, I just owe them an immeasurable debt of thanks.
To Tony, my running mate, down in Drama, no one has worked harder than they have. We only crossed paths a few times on this campaign and had to go out of our way to do it because their schedule was so heavy. And I can tell you, we're going to have a true partnership and a true friendship in Off Topic.
And now, as I said before, my family. I'm so grateful to them, for the love, for the support and for the hard work, because some of them were out on the campaign trail easily as much as MaroonCacti and I were.
And speaking of Maroon, he's going to have a new title in a couple of months. And it isn't really new because he's been the first lady in my life for a long time.
Now, we'll share that a little bit in the future.
You know, Wedge, the day after his election to the presidency, gathered in his office the users who had been covering his campaign and he said to them, "Well boys, you're troubles are over now, mine have just begun."
I think I know what he meant. Wedge may have been concerned in the troubled times in which he became president but I don't think he was afraid. He was ready to confront the problems and the troubles of a still youthful game, determined to seize the historic opportunity to change things.
And I am not frightened by what lies ahead and I don't believe the Blocklanders are frightened by what lies ahead. Together, we're going to do what has to be done. We're going to put Blockland back to work again. You know, I aim to try and tap that great Blockland spirit that opened up this completely undeveloped forum from board to board and made it a great forum, survived several wars, survived many purges, and we'll survive the problems we face right now.
When I accepted your nomination for president...I asked for your prayers at that moment. I won't ask for them in this particular moment but I will just say I would be very happy to have them in the days ahead.
Our country has been through a long and trying period, with the outcome of the presidential election not finalised for longer than any of us could have ever imagined.
Vice president Maxwell and I put our hearts and hopes into our campaigns; we both gave it our all. We shared similar emotions.
This evening I received a gracious PM from the vice president. We agreed to meet early next week in my server and we agreed to do our best to heal our community after this hard fought contest.
Tonight, I want to thank all the posters and players who worked so hard on my behalf, I also salute the vice president and his supporters for waging a spirited campaign and I thank him for a call that I know was difficult to make.
Maroon and I wish the vice president and senator Nonnel and their families the very best. I have a lot to be thankful for tonight. I am thankful for Blockland and thankful that we are able to resolve our electoral differences in a peaceful way.
And I am thankful to the Blockland people for the great privilege of being able to serve as your next president.
I want to thank my wife and our daughters for their love. Maroon's active involvement as first lady has made Blockland a better place, and he will be a wonderful first lady for Blockland.
I am proud to have Maxwell by my side, and Blockland will be proud to have him as our next vice president. Tonight, I chose to speak from the chamber of the Blockland Forums because it has been a home to bipartisan co-operation.
Here, in a place where stuffposters have the majority, posters and stuffposters have worked together to do what is right for the forumers we represent.
We've had spirited disagreements, and in the end, we found constructive consensus. It is an experience I will always carry with me, an example I will always follow.
I thank my friend, house speaker Nickpb, a stuffposter, who introduced me today. I want to thank the forumers of both political parties with whom I worked. Across the hall in our Blockland capitol are the admins, and I cannot help but think of our mutual friend, the former stuffposter lieutenant forumer Frequency.
His love for stuffposting continues to be a model for all of us. The spirit of co-operation I have seen in this board is what is needed in Blockland. It is the challenge of our moment.
After a difficult election, we must put politics behind us and work together to make the promise of Blockland available for every one of our players.
I'm optimistic that we can change the tone on the Blockland Forums. I believe things happen for a reason, and I hope the long wait of the last two months will heighten a desire to move beyond the banning and dramas of the recent past.
Our forum must rise above a house divided. Blocklanders share hopes and goals and values far more important than any political disagreements. Posters want the best for our forum. And so do stuffposters. Our votes may differ, but not our hopes.
I know Blockland wants reconciliation and unity. I know Blocklanders want progress. And we must seize this moment and deliver.
Together, guided by a spirit of common sense, common courtesy and common posts, we can unite and inspire the Blockland users.
Together, we will work to make all our Prison Escapes excellent, teaching every player of every background and every accent, so that no player is left behind. Together, we will save Blockland and renew its promise of a secure retirement for generations to come.
During the May campaign, we differed about details of these proposals - but there was remarkable consensus about the important issues before us: excellent servers, banning and account security, alt relief, a strong community, a more uncivil forum.
We've discussed our differences; now it is time to find common ground and build consensus to make Blockland a beacon of opportunity in the 21st century.
I'm optimistic this can happen. Our future demands it, and our history proves it. Four years ago, in the election of 2012, Blockland faced another close presidential election. A tie in the electoral college put the outcome into the hands of the forum.
After six days of voting, and 36 ballots, the Blockland Forums elected Wedge the third president of the United States. That election brought the first transfer of power from one party to another in our new democracy.
Shortly after the election, Wedge, in a letter titled reconciliation and reform, wrote this: "the steady character of our countrymen is a rock to which we may safely moor ... unequivocal in principle, reasonable in manner, we shall be able I hope to do a great deal of good to the cause of freedom and harmony."
Four years have only strengthened the steady character of Blockland. And so as we begin the work of healing our nation, tonight I call upon that character. Respect for each others posts. Respect for our different fandoms. Generosity of spirit. And a willingness to work hard and work together to solve any drama.
I have something else to ask of you, I ask every Blocklander. I ask for you to pray for this great game. I ask your prayers for leaders from both parties.
I thank you for your prayers for me and my family, and I ask you to pray for vice president Maxwell and his family. I have faith that with Badspot's help we as a forum will move forward together, as one community, indivisible. And together we will create an Blockland that is great, so every citizen has access to the Blockland dream.
An Blockland that is educated, so every young user has the knowledge to wait until he's 13+ to post. And a Blockland that is united in our diversity and our shared Blockland values that are larger than race or party.
I was not elected to serve one party, but to serve one forum. The president of Blockland is the president of every single Blocklanders, of every race and every background. Whether you voted for me or not, I will do my best to serve your interests, and I will work to earn your respect.
I will be guided by president Wedge's sense of purpose: to stand for principle, to be reasonable in manner, and, above all, to do great good for the cause of freedom and harmony.
All I can say to all of you is thank you and thank you for more than just Badspot and myself, thank you, because if the trend continues, we may very well control one board of the Blockland Forum for the first time in a decade.
I have one message that I have to give before I leave. I've been upstairs on the phone, trying to get ahold of two celebrations, two parties that are going on, one in Help, where I was born, and one in Off Topic, where I grew up. And finally, we managed to get the discord in that area and they told us that they would broadcast my message to the two parties that are going on, so to all of them, thank you too, back there in the home town.
Thank you all, thanks very much.
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