DCD Chairman declares first paradigm shift in over 200 yearsDemocratic Capitalist Delegation chairman Donivan Hershey caused an uproar within party ranks and nervous whispers nationwide this week after a press conference in Telapolis in which he shared a new vision for his party.
In his opening remarks, Hershey announced, "Over 200 years ago, an ambitious young Chairman by the name of Daunte Woodson introduced a radical new idea to this party which would produce never before seen success, and 50 years ago a seasoned veteran Chairman named Drake Dalton perfected it, producing success for this party which may never be replicated by any party of this nation for generations. Those of you who are familiar with the history of this party have probably already gathered that the idea I speak of is that of tertiary issue devolution. I come before all of you today to announce the discontinuation of this archaic philosophy, as it has run its course in this country. It is time that this party put the interests of its success as a back seat to the interests of the people. For over two centuries, this party has turned a blind eye to the opportunities offered by its policies to produce tyrannies of the majority in any of the five states, which simply isn't right. Today, we take a stand. From this day forth, this party will live up to its motto of "Protecting freedom, promoting prosperity," rather than simply ignoring the first half of it. We are confident the people of Telamon will support us in this and continue to offer us their confidence as the leaders of this nation."
Chairman Hershey in a press conference earlier this weekHershey's remarks came as a great surprise to many, as few experts would have expected such a move three terms into what has so far been what most would regard as a successful chairmanship. "Politically speaking, this makes very little sense," commented TBC political analyst Guye Hanson. "The DCD has won every election in the past 50 years, and after the '00 election, they're on the rise again. A paradigm shift at this point could only do more harm than good."
An anonymous party official weighed in on the subject as well. "From the first day Hershey ascended to the post of Chairman he has been pushing for this, but none of the Class I party officials wanted any part of it. It's only just now that Hershey has been able to get enough of his top officials to support him. I would be going too far if I revealed what finally made his advisers give in, but suffice it to say if the DCD doesn't win the '05 parliamentary and presidential races, he'll be announcing his resignation the morning after election night." Party Historian Dalton Williams added, "It's true that when Woodson was appointed chairman in 2586, he implemented his paradigm shift without the support of essentially any of his top officials, but these are different times. The fact that Woodson was the hand picked successor of the founding chairman, James Lott, gave him the wiggle room he needed to disregard hostile advisers. Also, Woodson did not serve as party Chairman while the party held the Presidency. If Hershey had gone forward from the day he was appointed while thumbing his nose at top officials like Michael Garrish or Jennifer Brackett, President Gustav would have been forced to crush him politically to avoid the risk of splintering the party the way Woodson nearly splintered it."
When asked his thoughts on the matter, President Gustav said only, "Donivan is the Party Chairman. It is his job to lead in the direction that he feels is right, and after several phone conversations with him, I can tell you he undoubtedly feels that this is the right direction. Now it's the job of the party to follow with confidence."
Speculation on the reasons for Hershey's new philosophical change crosses a wide spectrum of possibilities, but the consensus among most political analysts is the conclusion that there simply is no good reason for it, and that it will ultimately prove harmful to the DCD.