[LSNN] Interview with President Pro Tempore Frank Ernst

[Ace_]

 

Interview with President Pro Tempore Frank Ernst

BY DENNIS SIDWELL

 

 

Los Santos, SA - On the 17th of April, 2021, the LSNN team conducted an interview with President Pro Tempore Frank Ernst. This is the written version of the interview which was held on air, in the LSNN studio.

 

Frank Ernst and Dennis Sidwell in the studio

 

Dennis Sidwell: I'm pleased to announce my guest tonight. Tonight with us in the studio is President Pro Tempore of the Senate of San Andreas, Mister Frank Ernst.

 

Frank Ernst: Pleased to be here with you Dennis.

 

Dennis Sidwell: Mister Ernst, welcome to the studio. The pleasure is mine. To begin with, let's talk about the elections. The elections are behind us. The Republicans won by votes, albeit with a small difference. For the citizens who are watching us, if anyone didn't follow the results, allow me to remind you of the exact result again. 457 votes for Republicans and 445 votes for Democrats. Standing at five-five seats in the Senate. Now, in your opinion, what does this mean for the Senate? What if an issue arises, what if the Senators can not agree on a certain change?

 

Frank Ernst: Well, first of all. I'll just say that the Republicans are very pleased with the results. After all, San Andreas has historically leaned Democratic. This election was a referendum on Democratic leadership over the state, and the voters have spoken. I'm happy to continue to deliver results in the Senate, working across the aisle to get things done as well. However, as you mentioned... despite one side getting more votes, we were given an even number of seats, due to San Andreas' electoral system. This'll mean that the Secretary of State will need to break votes in situations where we have a tie. That first instance happened today, with the Secretary breaking a vote in favor of the Republicans. 

 

Dennis Sidwell: Can you please elaborate on the situation from today?

 

Frank Ernst: We held a vote on amending hunting laws to correct some wrongs we saw in standing law. This includes eliminating a hunter blacklist and modifying some definitions in the law. The Democrats voted against the law, although they didn't specify why in public. From what I understand it had something to do with not referring the bill to committee first, however, they didn't object to the motion to bring it to a vote. It's a good question to ask them. 

 

Dennis Sidwell: Now that you've mentioned the Secretary of State, Miss Chang... In an interview for the LSNN, she has stated that you are her favourite politician. 

 

Frank Ernst: Well I'm flattered that the Secretary has a high opinion of me. So far she's been a pleasure to work with and I look forward to more positive interactions.

 

Dennis Sidwell: Is she your favourite politician?

 

Frank Ernst: I'd say Ronald Reagan's my favorite politician, but hey... Secretary Chang has been doing a well job, so we'll see what comes!

 

Dennis Sidwell: Mister Ernst, you got voted to become the President Pro Tempore of the Senate again. However, the voting was interesting. You voted for yourself, Democratic Senator Diana Jones voted for you. Then you won at six-four. Miss Jones has said the following: "Because we're working together. Frank Ernst is a splendid candidate, with experience and seniority above anyone else in the Senate. We sat down together, as we often do, and discussed the potential ways forward. We could fight it out, force a tiebreaker to come in and decide for us, or we could decide together. Now, the Republican party had a majority in its votes, even if only by twelve votes, so it was important to set a precedent, too. We came to an agreement together. I discussed this with my party, and voted for Frank." Let's hear your side now.

 

Frank Ernst: Well, she summed it up pretty well. We cannot effectively govern the Senate with no clear side in control. So we set a precedent that the side which attains the most votes in the election controls the Senate. That isn't to say that the Democrats didn't get concessions. For example, Democrats now chair the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, as well as the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. It was a good compromise and a gesture of good will from Senator Jones.

 

Dennis Sidwell: Let's talk about the elections again. Are you satisfied with the results? The exit polls were showing six-four for the Republicans. What happened?

 

Frank Ernst: Absolutely. As I mentioned before and on election night, the Republicans were satisfied with the results and eager to use the outcome as an opportunity to continue our work. If you look at the history of San Andreas, Democrats have dominated this state, so from our view... this was an upset. We didn't have a solid indication that we were going to win going in. 

 

Dennis Sidwell: Why was Edgars Gudlevskis outed?

 

Frank Ernst: Can you clarify what you mean?

 

Dennis Sidwell: Well, he was campaigning as a part of the Republican Party, as a Senate candidate, but he wasn't a part of the final list. Furthermore... In a brief statement for the LSNN, he has said the following: "The Republican Party did that to me, I don't want to comment on it, they did what they did. They know why, I guess." What happened?

 

Frank Ernst: Well, we had a long list of candidates vying for Senate positions. From our pool, we were only able to select five. Edgars was not one of those candidates. Just as some Democratic candidates didn't make it into a Senate position. Take the current Democratic Chairman for example.

 

Dennis Sidwell: What was the selection based on--  Ah, that was going to be my next question. Allow me to ask you this first. What was the selection based on?

 

Frank Ernst: Policy knowledge, campaign work, community connections and public reputation to name a few variables. As for his specific case, I can't really comment on that. It'd be best directed to the GOP Chairman. Elections have consequences, and sadly... we can't all make the cut. If Republicans had won by wider margins, perhaps, yes. 

 

Dennis Sidwell: Republican Senator Kevin Seong has been a guest in the LSNN studio a week ago. He stated the following: "Rudy Benson was a very solid candidate with a bipartisan mindset, who was sadly left out of the final list." After the elections, Benson became the Democratic Party Chairman. What's your view on it?

 

Frank Ernst: I don't really have a comment, because I'm not very familiar with Rudy Benson. Although, I'll admit, some of the candidate selections on the Democratic side did surprise me. It's no secret about our concerns with individuals like Chloe Knight. For example, her baseless accusations of corruption thrown at me to undercut Republican performance in the election. I still haven't received an apology from Ms. Knight about that. It's no secret that her temperament has held her back. It's not going to win her any friends across the aisle, and it'll counteract her efforts to advance a legislative agenda. Now I hear she's targeting the Secretary of State. She's just very bad at making friends and allies.

 

Dennis Sidwell: When it comes to Acts and Bills, what's next in the Senate now? What's in the works?

 

Frank Ernst: We are forming a Special Committee on Organized Crime to begin drafting a RICO bill to give law enforcement the tools they need to tackle organized crime in the city. It'll also be nice to establish rapport between the Senate and our law enforcement bodies. Especially considering the Republican agenda of taking on waste, fraud and abuse within the government, and the public and private entities we work with. You know... The Democrats like to go on and on about the Halford scandal, and try and make Republicans out to be these boogeymen, when in reality we've been leading the charge to tackle corruption and organized crime. I haven't heard them peep a word on the fact that the city continued its relationship with tainted businesses. It seems they only care about corruption when it suits their political agenda. 

 

Dennis Sidwell: Frank, I know this question will sound like a cliche now, but can you choose one Democratic politician as your favourite?

 

Frank Ernst: I hate to sound like a broken record, but Minority Leader Diana Jones has been a gem to work with. I really like her. She's sharp, motivated and doesn't get caught up in political bomb throwing. In fact, I might say that Diana Jones is my favorite politician.

 

Dennis Sidwell: Frank, it was a pleasure to talk to you on air. Thank you for coming to the studio.

 

Frank Ernst: Thank you Dennis.

 

 

 

> Comments are enabled

 

Username: 

Comment:

Edited April 22, 2021 by YB

[H04X]

Username: HalfordDidNothingWrong

Comment: death to P.C! death to corrupt contracts! halford needs to be pardoned, he served God and through Him he served us, the public!! 
 

((Traced back to Banham Gas Station.)) 

[Zani]

Username: Ayzee

Republican: Wow, that was a wonderful interview. Such a shame to see Senators like Chloe Knight rant on about nonsense, and even make a Facebrowser status against bills such as DUI checkpoints, claiming they're drafted just to 'inconvenience' us. Is she serious!? I'm glad to see there's some bipartisan efforts within our legislature. Let's keep working on that. Between being a Republican or Democrat, there's common sense, and both parties must use that to make this City safer. Pleased to see the hard work of the GOP!

 

GO RED!