Fantasy Congress: politics is a game
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Oct 25th 2006 at 3:45PM }
Fantasy Congress plays a lot like any other online Fantasy sports game. Join a league, draft a team, and compete for points.Rosters include two senior Senators ("Upper Senators"), two junior Senators ("Lower Senators"), four senior Representatives ("All-Stars"), four mid-range experience Representatives ("Supporting Lineup"), and four junior Representatives ("Rookies"). Points are awarded for passing bills through various stages of legislature.
Aside from being an alternative for non-sports fans missing out on the Fantasy craze, Fantasy Congress could be a great tool for educators, adding an edge, for example, to an otherwise boring high school government class. That said, we'd like to see more boundary-pushing efforts like Fantasy Congress -- and less like this one.
[Via Evil Avatar]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
unimental @ Oct 25th 2006 4:09PM
Who's going to be the first to make an intern joke?
Matt @ Oct 25th 2006 4:13PM
Damnit Kerry! YOU'RE RUININ MY SUMMAAAAAH!
Dirk Dorkelson @ Oct 25th 2006 4:26PM
Why bother crediting Evil Avatar? The Evil Avatar link credits Reuters. And the Reuters article is a rewrite of a story that appeared on the front page of Monday's New York Times. In other words, this has been out there for days. Blogs' weird obsession with crediting other sites for stuff is something I just don't understand, particularly when the sites credited are just linking to mainstream media.
Agent MOO @ Oct 25th 2006 4:26PM
"press M key to molest page"
Aden Nak @ Oct 25th 2006 4:31PM
Blogs credit other sites, even if those sites themselves are just rewrites and credits, because some people actually want to trace information back to its source. It's not enough of a demand for most bloggers to walk all the way up the information pipeline (though good ones do), but it is considered courteous and honest to at least specify where you get the information you're writing about.
One of the most common techniques of bad bloggers and, in fact, bad reporters is to make statements or allegations without at least citing a reference. That's usually how hacks and shills cover their misinformation. In print, it's easier to do because most people don't bother with footnotes and endnotes. But with the internet, it's actually CONVENIENT to check a source, and people who aren't whoring themselves often use links like those to say to their readers, "Don't believe me? See for yourself."
Agent MOO @ Oct 25th 2006 4:33PM
#3, because they have to churn out like 20 of these a day. They don't have time to trace each blog post down to the original source, nor need to.
Chris @ Oct 25th 2006 4:31PM
I thought we already had a Fantasy Congress. zing!
Dirk Dorkelson @ Oct 25th 2006 5:06PM
Yeah, but the Evil Avatar guy in the blog entry says he learned about it from a Reuters article. It's not like it's hard to trace the information back to the MSM. I understand why credit is given for breaking video game news or links to obscure things, but this is neither.
Gonzo @ Oct 25th 2006 5:13PM
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/liksang8/petition.html
It would be my fantasy if they all literally canabalized each other and all was left in the morning was a morbidy obease (moreso than usual) Hastert who's heart had ceased after chugging their buttery blood.
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/liksang8/petition.html
Agent MOO @ Oct 25th 2006 7:24PM
Online petitions are the biggest waste of 10 seconds ever.
Mr. Khan @ Oct 25th 2006 7:32PM
Hey, it (Online petitions) can't hurt, can it?
Agent MOO @ Oct 25th 2006 9:12PM
Well, A. they can hurt, and B. they are a waste of time.
A. You are submitting your email address, so you are potentially giving it to a spammer.
B. Because of A, many people give fake email addresses which ruins the integrity of the petition.
Steve @ Oct 26th 2006 2:16AM
Haha Andrew Lee lives in the dorm next to me. People loooove to prank that guy.