Taking a Deeper Look at the Presidential Race

Day 2,905, 08:45 Published in USA USA by Azazel Romanov


I figured I'd do a look through every platform, proposal, and plan that the current candidates have, and give my take on them. While Wild Owl has a clear edge in party endorsements, Jude has displayed an admirable amount of media and has received endorsements from prominent individuals. So lets first take a look at Jude's campaign, and then we will take a closer look at Wild Owl.

Jude Connors Policy Proposals

Reference:
Announcement Article
A Vision for the Future (Foreign Policy)
Getting Local

I will also touch on some proposals from his cabinet article, but that will be referenced later in cabinet discussion. Jude's main departure from current presidential administration is his desire to shake up our foreign policy and put us into a new direction. I had already discussed some reservations I had about this before, but I can go a little more in depth based upon his article. He argues that he will open up talks with nations, appoint ambassadors, and put us in a new position while still supporting Pacifica. Previous experience I have had with special ambassadors (Oblige employed this during some of his terms) doesn't make me optimistic for success. I don't necessarily see a need for dividing something that one MoFA and his deputies can already accomplish, and previous personal ties to countries doesn't necessarily mean an influence on national policies. He also desires a removal of the Wild Owl Doctrine but still doesn't fully explain what that means. Are we dropping MPPs? Are we adding MPPs? Are certain hostilities going to be created? He mentioned nations we would talk to in a question thread, but I didn't really see a dramatic change. The one country I saw that would mark some significant change was Croatia, but I do not think we can shift our position there without significantly harming relations with other nations he wants to talk to.

Foreign Policy is built on balance, and Gnilraps wrote an article summarizing foreign policy that kind of hits it on the head. Everyone hates someone, and starting to like or hate someone else starts making dominoes fall. Overall, the foreign policy change is vague, and I don't really see how it is effective or a dramatic departure. And if it truly is, I have a hard time seeing how it all falls together properly and puts us in a better position than our current. We're in a strong position now, keep it.

Relating to Defense policies, Jude wants to merge NSC to be under DoD authority. While I have no real problem with this proposal, I don't see why it is a problem needed to be fixed. NSC and DoD do have different priorities, and it is easy to distinguish. NSC plans fights, DoD manages armed forces. Overall, I don't think this will mark a big change since NSC still technically reports to president and just has another manager. That said, it's not something I think will cause great harm, and might work out better if it is tried.

Domestic policy looks great. I have no disagreement seeking new blood for media, and I'm glad to see the wheels of progress still turning. Scott has been doing interesting work for the Tech Department, and if his projects interest some people it is a worthy effort. If Franklin Stone gets PDB access maybe he'll be less anti-authority. Civilian Affairs and fun also sound put together and I think this area isn't really a problem.

Jude Connors Cabinet

Reference:
Top Tier
Rest of the Gang

I like his Vice Presidential Choice, since I had picked rainy sunday for a previous campaign as well. She's a great person and I've always enjoyed her input. I'm not sure about the distinction between First Lady and Senior Advisor, but Artela is intelligent and is sure to be a valuable asset. I don't know a whole lot about The Main Character (Senryaku) or Jaden A., but if they can yell at people and make them do things, then they have CoS and DCoS down.

MrCarey is bright, in my view, and I welcome expanding his experience if he is truly future president material. However, if you are embarking on a broad change in foreign affairs, it may have been wise to place someone more experienced to handle foreign leaders and make MrCarey a deputy so he can learn on the job. Aramec and Derphoof are both smart and will be good advisors, and I've had positive interactions with TheDillPickl. I've already said my opinion about special ambassadors.

Yui is capable to lead DoD, but I'd like to see more data driven people in the DoD executive as well since it still helps manage funds and USAF planning (if Yui is good with data, someone let me know). No problem with NSC council. With regards to Media and DoCA, I don't have any problems with the picks and they should all do fairly well in their tasks. It's good to see some newer people entering those roles.

Wild Owl Policy Proposals

References:
Announcement
Foreign Policy and NSC
General Plans

Wild Owl likes to get straight to the point and lay things out. As another writer who enjoys text walls, I can appreciate this. Instead of promising change and bringing in new blood, Wild Owl focuses on what is smart and what is capable (not to suggest that the two plans are mutually exclusive).

He stands by the current foreign policy that I have discussed previously. I think there is room for fun without attempting grand change to our policies. Worst case, we're stuck with boredom, but I'm not really a guy that craves change or seeks to reinvent the wheel. We're safe, and we still have room to grow, and Wild Owl has even hinted as much and suggested new campaigns in the future. He does not suggest a merger of DoD and NSC, and from his proposals I don't think this is what he intends to do. I have seen him mention wanting better relationships between the working parts, so I feel like he will focus upon this.

He does focus upon spending and communication, stating that we will be spending less and talking more, which is always good. If we continue to spend less, perhaps then a discussion about lowering tax rates can occur. I'm not necessarily someone advocating that position, but I know some people care and money on hand is a factor. He has stressed the need for TP battles again, implying that there will be American battles available, whether these are training RWs or campaigns is still unknown.

This is a shorter discussion because Wild Owl simply has less to talk about. He's not a candidate for change and simply wants to reinforce or improve certain aspects of our national administration. I may look through threads again, but I think I captured the core elements of his policies.

Wild Owl Cabinet

Reference:
Cabinet

I was expecting more older players in Wild Owl's cabinet, but he actually surprised me with a lot of newer picks. His VP and CoS are experienced picks (typically have reservations about Oblige, but I think Wild Owl can keep him reined in). Orikfricai is a new pick to be SoS, and like with MrCarey, I like seeing new people expanding their experience. Since Wild Owl isn't embarking on new ventures, it would provide him time to learn.

I like the pick of Hale Kane, since it is someone within the USAF. I have had limited interactions with him in the past, and don't remember any that were unpleasant. The combination of Henry William French and Tyler Bubblar for NSC is also a good choice, focusing on experience. Overall, a strong Defense area and I expect to see good things from this area.

Matt Oaks for Media and Jaden A are also newer picks for the domestic areas, and I like to see that. Matt Oaks writes well, so I look forward to seeing more from him. Jaden A is another newer addition, and I look forward to seeing her contributions to DoCA. Domestic areas should see improvement and good times.

Final Words

I have significant disagreements with Jude's foreign policy choices and I can't shake that. Absent that, I would have been much more neutral and likely would have a much more balanced look at this race. Their cabinets aren't largely different in quality, and their domestic approaches are fairly similar. Jude's defense proposals aren't a negative, but aren't necessarily a positive (would have to see it in action to decide). But in the end, I have to admit that I lean toward Wild Owl, and others noted this in my previous article. I agree with his foreign policy and that's a pretty deciding factor. In the end, I have to endorse Wild Owl for President. So there you have it, I tried to talk about literally anything that I could. If I left anything out, let me know and I can address it further in the comments.