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**UPDATE** As this article was being composed, the CPP announced it was endorsing Kronos Q.
**UPDATE 2** MOO confirms Aeriala as candidate.
**UPDATE 3** MDP and UN endorse Fram (Nea Milosu) who releases his platform. Aeriala publishes his cabinet.
**UPDATE 4** DAL endorses Aeriala.

I said things could change fast...

Note: There is a lot of potential campaigning left and everything written below could change with a single article.

I've been in a campaign and realized what it was like to feel the momentum building. A good indicator is to look at what the main parties are doing and saying.

DAL is in a runoff situation.
EPIC overwhelmingly supports Kronos Q.
The MDP has yet to reveal its hand but we know who they won't support.
The UN is in a runoff between Kronos Q and Fram (Nea Milosu).
MOO's poll is currently favouring Aeriala.

THE CPP's ballot stayed private but they are close to revealing their choice.
The CPF has decided to support me.
What the remaining parties are doing is unclear as their media presence is minimal.

In other words Kronos Q, Aeriala and myself have secured the support of our own parties (but only the first two are top 5 parties). Fram has to be in the running for the MDP and has a good chance with the UN which would give him suddenly two top 5 endorsements. If he loses the UN, Kronos Q will pick it up giving him 2 momentum builders.

DAL is not the spent force their opponents would like you to believe they are so their decision could sway a bunch of votes. Finally the CPP has shown some strength this month by gaining members, which means more activity and represents more votes.

Conclusion, I need to pick up some votes and it will either come from independents or a surprise primary win.

So when you find yourself behind the eight ball in a political race, what do you do?

One thing you could do is go on the attack. If ads were still active I'm sure we would see a handful of negative ones.

How would I go about attacking my opponents though? I can't attack Kronos Q as I would have him in my cabinet as Minister of Defense. His reputation is excellent and he really doesn't need to prove his dedication to our Community any more. So strike one...

Aeriala? I voted for him last month, he was my choice then because I thought he was steady, no nonsense and capable. Everything he has shown so far confirms this. Additionally he is running a campaign message that is very similar that what mine was last year. Strike two...

Just about the worst thing you could accuse Fram of is being a vet. I know, what a nasty thing to say. Seriously though, with the exception of the temporary lost org and gold, his track record is one of constant service to Canada. We've gotten to know him through his writing but also through his voice and he has always been a moderate, intelligent thinker.

What I'm saying here is that in a crowded field of competent and trustworthy candidates, how do you make room for yourself?

I only have one thing left to do, contrast the platforms and hope mine stands out.

Economy.

KQ favours the use of VAT. In his economic overview article, he supports Congress recent change to 5% income - 5% VAT and he considers the issue largely fixed but in need of monitoring. He calls for the formation of a panel of experts.

Aeriala did not formally present an economic plan however he has fully endorsed MOO's 8 tenets and the tax changes were performed under his watch. Like he said, he does not feel the need to repeat what Addy has been preaching and he is right.

To get Fram's platform I went to his presentation to the UN. Admittedly it was incomplete but it was the most I had to work with since he has not published his ideas in the media. He would increase income tax back to 8% with VAT at 5%.

All three are brief, two of them going straight to the point of offering % numbers.

My platform calls for 3% income and 8% VAT. I explain some of the logic behind the numbers and articulate my economic theory (which is similar to Addy's and opposed to Dean22's, the only two economists to actually put forward comprehensive plans).

On the subject of resource acquisition, we can assume that all are in favour. Of note is the Irish land swamp instigated by Aeriala's team.

Fram is the only one with a stated priority of grain first and oil next. He also hints of having the framework largely worked out for grain (but probably would not be able to share those details for security reasons).

Other than that the economic platforms do not go into further detail. KQ makes mention of monetary control but not right now, a position I fully endorse as well. I talk about overproduction, efficiency and competitive edge plus the need to become a greater exporting nation.

Fram would create a system of Guardianship for our treasury. He has been forwarding his ideas in regard to this in Congress.

Population growth and retention.

This is probably the strongest part of KQ's platform. He has two specific programs, one new and one expansion. The new item is his "Outreach Team" which reads like a re-thought mentorship program. If put in place and well run it could prove to be extremely beneficial. The second is a fleshing out of the New Canadians Assistance Program (NCAP).

Both programs would be run by very accomplished citizens that have a track record as good communicators. So it seems like KQ social credential are more than well earned and it is important to highlight this part of his plan.

Aeriala's presentation, brief as it is, makes no mention of this subject. That is not to say he would not be active in this domain, if anything his term in office is showing that he tends to be a doer rather than a talker. Positive stuff but it makes it impossible to guess where he would put his energies.

Fram would push for a greater focus on bilingualism. He has ideas on player retention and health care but has not fleshed out those ideas. His focus would be transparency and restoring confidence in Government.

My own platform calls for two specific programs, a health care plan that would also benefit the economy and an immigration project. Both my plans have a cost associated to them but I talk about those things outright. My platform is closest to KQ in terms of offering a clear direction going forward, his has a much stronger social focus, mine a much more pronounced economic one.

Foreign Affairs.

KQ has not published an article on foreign affairs yet. His campaign is far from done however and we should see something specific shortly.

Aeriala mentioned getting our MPPs under control and moving forward with our allies.

Fram advocates staying with Eden but acknowledges that we must re-evaluate our position in the New World. He would use embargos to block enemies from our markets, specifically he singled out Poland. He supports working to see if PANAM is a viable project.

I talk about negotiating partnerships both military and economic. I also mention the importance right now to reach out to new nations.

With the exception of KQ who may yet trump us all once he releases a full article on the subject, all leading candidates mainly talk ideas. There are no specifics except for Fram's initial position on old alliances and new.

Overall.

KQ obviously has a vision. The most detail is on the social aspect but he offers enough to show he understand all the challenges well. As each one of his themes roll out, we also get to meet the ministers in charge (Etemenanki, Roger Griswald, Lavis Knight, Matthew Gallaugher). A very strong, polished campaigned so far.

Common sense, honesty and openness. One could probably also add courtesy. Aeriala's cabinet is undeclared but in the advent of a win, I would expect much the same personel to stay in place. A lot of experience in the back room, straightforward approach to the masses. His main goal appears to be to appeal to citizens need for less chaos, more certainty. What he leaves to the electorate is to decide whether the rock of his foundation trumps the promises of the other candidates.

Fram's notes and various ideas show that he embraces some new ideas (VAT) while holding on to some old (Eden). He has always been a smart operator and he is trying, with the little details he has provided, to sell us on transition ideas that will see smoothly from one era to the next. Security will be a big focus with him and he promises to make the changes necessary to improve things there.

As for myself... it is hard to distance myself enough to compare my platform to what the others did in the same way. I believe I offer a few more radical (and likely more expensive) projects. I definitely offer an economic platform based on my own thinking and numbers which can either be bang on or a liability. The disadvantage of theory is that until you implement it, a lot of the numbers are estimates at best, guesswork at worse. I can now announce the addition of Jacobi as my Minister of Foreign Affairs which completes my cabinet of 6 (I may yet add a 7th as Chief of Staff but can go forward without one).

All the candidates have positive track records and each should steer Canada well. Interestingly, none have talked about the military in any great detail.

So there you go Canada, I hope you enjoyed my sometimes biased, a little long analysis. 😉
On February 5th, I hope to be able to count on your votes.