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Hey ya'll!

I was asked to cover an article for the upcoming elections since my second article on foreign affairs did pretty well. I wasn't sure how creative one could get with a topic like the presidential elections, so I stuck with the basic interviews. I sent interviews to Jewitt, PigInZen, Josh Frost, and Woxan. I still wait on a reply from Woxan, but I will update this article if it comes in on time; it is a busy time for all candidates and I would like to thank those who took the time to reply so far.

Below I will summarize the results of the interview and give a little background info on each candidate. You may contact me for the actual transcripts. Every other response in the summary is in italics to avoid confusion; it is a response to a different question. FYI: Jewitt is running for President, with PigInZen as his VP, while Frost runs for President with Woxan as his VP.

Jewitt:

Bio: Jewitt is a two-time congressman that is currently at level 21 and will have his first birthday on November 13th. He is ranked number 98 in the nation and is currently a member of the United Independents Party, which currently holds 4% of the congressional seats. He resides in California and is the editor of his two-time award winning newspaper, "The Jewitt Report."

Summary: If elected, this will be Jewitt's first time as President. I asked why he wants to take on this role and his response was: "I was part of every administration since the war's beginning, and like to think of myself as being contributory to our success. So I guess now this is my chance to step up and continue my work, in the highest office of the land." Since the war, many citizens demand war daily to gain experience and keep wellness up. When there isn't war on the homefront, Jewitt wishes to have wargames and states that "war is great for our economy and our citizens as a whole, and without it our nation is boring, poor, and fragile." "My number one priority would have to be my 10,000 Fists campaign, where I hope to lay the ground work for managing and keeping 10,000 active... citizens in the USA... My second priority is expanding our technological databases and ability to track and manage the nation. My third priority (although I believe they all are equal in worth) is my foreign policy of advocating occupied nations' rights." "It is my job to represent you all - even as Vice President. I want you all to know who you have elected last month and who you may elect come the 5th. Just send me a message!"

Josh Frost:

Bio: Frost is a three-time elected congressman living in California. He is ranked number one in the nation and is the editor of his one- time award winning newspaper, "The Angry Kitten." His first birthday will be on December 6th and he is currently at level 23. He is a member of the United States Workers Party, which currently holds 22% of the congressional seats.

Summary: This will also be Frost's first time as President, if he is elected. He says he is running because he believes that the US is ready for change. He wishes to institute new programs that educates and helps retain new citizens. As for war, "I also feel that the war with the Indonesia/Hungarian Empire will never be over and it is the eUSA's responsibility to continue that fight both at home and around the world... If PEACE suddenly disappeared and there were no more battles we would still have regular war game for citizens to rank up and in and gain wellness." His top three priorities in order are: to remain loyal to our allies and challenge PEACE wherever they attack; "create a nation with citizens devoted to public service and military service of some type;" and finally, to persuade unsatisfied PEACE nations to take our side. On foreign policy, he states that it is important to him and he wants to keep open communication to those unsatisfied PEACE member nations. "I think people should vote for me because I am dedicated to change and I am dedicated to the American people. During the course of my eRepublik career I have extended my maximum effort in everything I have ever done and if elected I will do the same as the President. I just want every American to know that I am grateful for all of the PM's I have received and for all of the positive support. the citizens of this country are what make it truly special and whether I win or lose, I want them to know how thankful I am to have met and talked with so many of them."


PigInZen:

Bio: PigInZen is a two-time elected congressman ranked 1062 in the nation and is living in California. He is currently at level 19 and is almost six-months old. He is a member of the Federalist Party.

Summary: "The frequency of REAL WARS should not impede the ability of US citizens to fight in a battle for wellness. We're constantly working to provide training battles with friendly nations. Personally, I believe that war is a fundamental part of the game and unavoidable. I just don't believe in occupying foreign territory." His top priorities are making the US more advanced in technology to help make communication and record- keeping easier, keeping the government more organized, and advancing the country as a whole. He states "these are important to US citizens because they will allow us to move our game to the next level and become more competitive with our rivals." As for foreign policy, he says "I am completely in favor of confronting those nations and powers that seek to impose their hegemony over the game and over control of raw material sources. Markets should be free for all to access." Finally, why should you vote Jewitt/ PigInZen? "I am running for Vice President because I believe that Jewitt is one of the few players in the game that sees matters in a nuanced and logical manner. He doesn't believe in using one solution to solve problems and actively seeks to build bridges and not offend people. People should vote for me and Jewitt because we'll take every avenue presented to making the USA the preeminent power in the eRepublik. I want people to know that I believe in Open Government whereby anyone who is interested and wants to serve in government can do so. Obviously I prefer these people to be LOYAL to the collective USA society and not any foreign powers or subgroups."

Woxan:

Bio: Woxan is a level 20 citizen living in California. His paper has recieved one award and he is a two-time congressman. He is ranked at 334 and is almost nine- months old. He is unaffiliated.


My Take:
Personally, I do not know Frost or Jewitt that well so that should remain relatively unbiased. As for PigInZen and Woxan, I have had some contact with both, even though it isn't extensive.

Based on their information and responses, Jewitt seems to have a "feel" for things. He seems well rounded, and not focused on WAR, WAR, WAR! Jewitt wants to make a larger, more active and engaged nation while maintaining foreign relations and creating new ones. On the other hand, Frost seems quite concerned with the war, and even though the war should take a certain priority, it should not be the main. I don't know about ya'll, but I want the NAU to stay active, the mentoring program, and all the other programs we have. The mentoring program is a crucial part of the nation, and it is perhaps more important during wartime, so I am not sure why it was temporarily inactive but that is in the past.

Frost's position on foreign affair doesn't seem healthy to me. It seems like he isn't interested in creating better relations between other countries but "taking the leftovers." Here he states: "I think we need to be willing to find a way to work with fringe nations that might be disenchanted with PEACE and to get them to join our fold. Every nation that leaves PEACE will make them weaker." Now anyone who knows me, knows that foreign affairs are very important to me. Frost's statement does not seem like actual foreign affairs but makes me think of what would happen if we took "disenchanted" PEACE member nations. One, are they REALLY disenchanted and should we take that risk? Two, when a member leaves an alliance to go to the opposing alliance, you create more turmoil because the original alliance will be after the ""traitor." Finally, when a nation leaves PEACE, it would probably weaken them. However, if that nation is unsatisfied with PEACE, they probably aren't putting much into it anyways, so how much weaker are they going to get? I say, let them be neutral until we have worked out all the fine details.

One of Jewitt's statements on foreign policy is: "I want to branch out to all nations whom are against unjust occupation of nations." To me, that alone gets the gold! Jewitt wants to reach out to those nations that have a similar goal in mind and extend our support to them. He doesn't target just PEACE, allied, or neutral nations.

As for war, Frost seems much more aggressive, which isn't a surprise when he is ranked number one and is one tough cookie! However, it seems Frost will "provoke" the situation while Jewitt will work with how it plays out while spending the time to advance our nation.

As for Jewitt's 10,000 Fist campaign, I raise one fist!

Herr Sterling
*I do the research, so you don't have to!*