Imagine if, instead of waiting around like sitting ducks, your politic opponents run off into the night if things are looking grim for them. The event for them to flee would trigger if the player has high politic power and takes to long to finish the focuses to kill their opposition. Allowing them to get away would block the now useless focuses and grant some hefty, but temporary, maluses and a few small bonuses. Manpower loss/factory output loss/construction speed/research speed/maybe a research slot/population loss. Just heap all of the bad stuff onto a year long debuff. Also throw on a bit of political power gain, factory efficiency gain speed, and a bit of manpower growth.

As what what happens to the fleeing opposition? I suppose that would depend on which ones were sent running. I could see the Purists running straight to the Divide, eager to nuke the hell out of their enemies. Which of course would trigger the events of the Divide, blowing them to hell and back. I could also see them easily displacing a remote tribal nation like the Sorrows, The Tar Walkers, Circle Junction, or really another other small tribal group. What can they do to stop the Enclave('s APA)?

Honestly, I could see both sides taking refuge under the Mormons, resulting in some weird CannanClave monster. I also, think an event tied to New Cannan burning would be pretty cool. Like the Exiled Enclave just so happen to be near New Cannan while its under siege and they ride into battle to save the good Christian folk, keeping a part of the American Way alive in these dark times. The event would spawn a few APA troops, maybe a support robot or two, and a handful of vertibirds. As for whether or not it could save New Cannan at that point, I don't know.

Or maybe they could just run away to Mexico.