The third annual NG politics awards thread is here! It's a terribly easy thing to do, vote once in each category for which ever candidate you believe is best suited for that category. Ties were decided by the flip of a coin. A quarter, a Minnesota one to be exact. In one case, there were only two clear nominees with more than a single nomination each, so that category only has two nominees. And there were only about four major news stories nominated, so I included all of them.
I tried, but getting all of it into one post required fragging all of the html, and then it would have been even more difficult to read. It'll be two posts, hopefully most people here know how to respond to two posts at once... (*cough* hint people: it involves opening another browser, and then copy+pasting)
Voting will continue through until the end of next Saturday, the 7th. Midnight-ish.
El Presidente -- The best overall user, who debates intelligently, knows the issues, and is truly an asset to the board.
Proteas -- Proteas got a whopping zero votes for best regular in the '04 awards. But his e-pen0r grew considerably in 2005, as Proteas got a new place to post (the audio forum), received a bit of infamy (his "Why I'm glad Hurricane Katrina hit" was pretty... successful), and won the ban stick late in the year (a surprise to some, although I had been calling it for awhile).
red_skunk -- My activity and interest in the boards declined, and along with it went my debating ability and commitment to a decent board. Still, I managed to post regularly, and remain a pretty visible user throughout the year (for better or worse).
Dr. Arbitrary -- Inbetween March and December of this year, Arbitrary posted a grand total of ten posts. But his activity within the past month has proven to be enough to get him noticed once again. And the resurfacing of one of his "Illegalize Masturbation" threads means Arbitrary is really back, and the noob trap is as good as ever.
Defense Minister -- The user who has the best understanding of international relations, military and war-related issues. They know the facts and just report them, m'am. Along with knocking some heads along the way.
Dr. Arbitrary -- Being one of the few here actively serving in the military, Arbitrary is a sort of authority on the issues, whether he wants to be or not. I'm not saying he's the end-all in knowledge, but the sort of first-hand, primary source stuff we get from him is invaluable (even if he is only swabbing decks around Japan).
Gunter45 -- Gunter garnered enough nominations for this category, not I think, for his all-encompassing knowledge on the subjects (although he's good), but rather for his even-keeled temperament when discussing said issues.
Samuel_HALL -- Of how I just described Gunter, Flagg might be the anti-thesis. He'll make some decent points (although I'm usually left wanting more), and then follow it up with thinly-veiled barbs. Debates between Flagg and others don't usually end peacefully, but his caustic attitude on the boards takes the heat off of me.
Department of the Interior -- To put it succinctly (unlike the rest of this post) - god, guns, and gays. Domestic issues, and the user who best posts about them.
red_skunk -- My personal preference here is domestic issues, since they are - quite literally - closer to home, and impact us all that much more. For this reason, they're also easier to understand, since the effect of policy and such is immediate, and measurable.
fli -- fli's nomination here can be seen in similar terms to Gunter's nomination above. Not only does he have a great understanding of the issues, but fli also posts in such a sane, coherent manner that it's hard not to agree with the guy.
-JoS- -- That Canadian from up north, he keeps us tuned to the daily occurrences of our northern brethren (he also has an almost unhealthy interest in American politics). To know more than you ever wanted to know about Canadian timber, and how it makes it to your bathroom in the form of toilet paper, give this guy a ring.
Economics Advisor -- Economics is a highly divisive issue on the boards, and one that a lot of people are pretty incompetent in. While some simply ignore the issue, others take it head on.
PCHoliday -- Rooster has taken Befell's spot for 'most visible conservative'. When he's not confusing me by occasionally making sense (I can't tell if he's mocking me or not), he'll take economics by its throat, and throttle it. Unlike Befell, however, Rooster makes a convincing argument for his positions. And he wears glasses, like Empanado said.
Samuel_HALL -- The previous bit on Flagg is also suitable for his nomination in this category. I've never noticed a great deal of economic talk coming out of Flagg, but he was probably irritating me so much that I didn't notice. Either way, some of you caught it, and nominated him.