Articlasilence

Saul Based Goodman, (born Artic LaSilence, July 21st, 1983) is an American politician currently serving as the 53rd Vice President of the United States.

Early Life
Artic was born to a modest family in rural Georgia. His father ran a pharmacy while his older brother moved away when he was young. From an early age, Artic was known for his cunning wit, and his ability to maneuver tense situations. However, he struggled in high school, frequently getting low grades. He dropped out after an incident involving a fight with several other students, at which point he began to work for his father's pharmacy.

In his adulthood, Artic was able to get enrolled in the University of American Samoa, gaining a law degree. His brother meanwhile ran a large law firm, eventually becoming the district judge for northern Georgia. Artic moved back to Atlanta in 2011, and began practicing his own private law from Atlanta. Most of his work came from criminal defense. He testified in front of numerous trials, known for his passionate and sometimes eccentric arguments. Due to Artic's defense, many low-level drug dealers were acquitted or appealed. Despite this, there was a very little repeat offense rate for criminals Artic successfully defended.

=Political Career=

Artic's brother had initially offered to pull some strings in order to get him a position as Assistant Attorney General of Georgia. However, he instead decided to rely on his own merit. He ran as a republican for the Georgia senate representing the Atlanta swing district, District 13. He spent six years in the state senate, going on to serve as Minority leader from 2023-2025 and Majority leader from 2025-2027. He lost reelection in 2026, at which point, facing grief over the recent death of his brother, Artic resumed his private law practice.

He continued to build his reputation as an intelligent and shrewd lawyer, despite losing much popularity due to his successful defense of several convicted criminals. Artic was offered numerous positions in corporate and financial law, but repeatedly refused, as he wanted to continue defending the people of Atlanta. He had initially considered himself retired from politics, until, in 2029, a special election was held to determine the new Georgia governor.

Artic was nominated by the Georgia Republican Party without his knowledge. He faced off against the Democratic nominee, an accused communist, the Georgia Secretary of StateMihicular. This race was one of the most contentious and controversial in modern history. On election night, it first it appeared Mihicular won in a landslide, but after the Georgia Supreme Court mandated a recount, Artic was elected the 85th Governor of Georgia by a margin of 51% to 49%. Many continued to think that he had lost, due to his history as a criminal lawyer.

Artic led a first term that won praise from many respected national political figures. He successfully balanced the budget in his state by lowering taxes on the middle and working class. He also legalized marijuana and decriminalized many drugs, handling the growing drug and crime epidemic differently from the racist War on Drugs policies earlier conservatives had fought for. Governor Artic had initially entered office seen as a smarmy lawyer and a distrusted politician. However, he was quickly dubbed one of the best governors in the nation before his 4 years were even up.

In 2032, Artic agreed to be New Hampshire Senator Frak Reynold's running mate on the 2032 Republican ticket. They were both dark horse candidates, seen as relatively inexperienced and youthful. They won the joint nominations of the Libertarian Party, and were lucky to be going against the unpopular incumbent President ARC. Reynolds and Artic went on to win the election by a margin of 52%-48%, and both were inaugurated on January 20th, 2033.

Vice Presidency
As Vice President, Artic was one of Reynold's most loyal and powerful advisors. He was instrumental in getting the Drug and Crime Acts of 2033 passed, both of which were written by him and copied from his time as governor. Under Artic's direction, the senate became much more functional, with corruption, inactivity, and partisan politics all greatly reduced. For a VP who had never served in congressional politics, he was seen as someone that navigated the legislative branch well, helping to get a number of Reynold's most ambitious policies passed. However, the policy that Artic was most keen on, the Crypto Standard, and that he championed as a cryptocurrency supporter, failed to pass the Senate.

Reynolds and Artic were reelected in 2036 by a landslide margin, of 53% to 40% to 7%. Due to a split vote in the Democratic party, and the intense popularity of the Reynolds administration, they won the previously safe democratic states of New York, New Jersey, and Illinois.