I have to say that I'm quite happy with the results of our simulation - after all, the side my group argued DID win. As it well should have! It was a pleasant surprise that the views of my Sierra Club and of the AIAM were so sympatico - our arguments complemented each other well, and it was a very successful combination in the end.
Of course, part of the reason that it was nice to get help was that our Sierra Club chose a contrarian position. Jesse, my roommate, who's Sierra Club group was very much pro-tariff, repeatedly told me my group was steadfastly wrong. Perhaps he was correct in saying the Sierra Club would, in real life, would be against anything that could result in further globalization (like eliminating a tariff on foreign autos). However, we were able to build a cogent argument for eliminating that tariff, and we built it using a ton of research into the Sierra Club's stated positions regarding the United States, and we were able to clearly defend a position that left even our President a little jaw-dropped: "I never thought I would come in here and here the Sierra Club tell me cars are good," he said. That said, we convinced him of our unorthodox stance, and he backed our ideas: a win all around.
The most vital reason we won, though, was the incredible job my team did. It was uncanny how well we all worked together. There was no fighting, no arguing, no fretting over things getting done (or not). Everybody did their part with no complaints - and on time! It was a dream group. Whether it was Aubrey's research, or Rebecca's soothing voice, or Andrew's iMovie skills, or Christian's skillful discourse, everyone on Team Sierra Club nailed it. I'm very proud of us all, and really hope to work with these same people again in the future.
Thomas! I loved your post. I liked working with you too.. you were such a great cooperative person! I was also kind of alarmed in the beginning when I found out the Sierra Club had done a different angle, but I really think we pulled through excellently because we defended our position with logic and facts and real statistics (especially about job growth). Thanks for the kind words, and I, too, hope we get to work together in the future!
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