Honestly, it took eight damn years to develop the hornet and there's still a long way to go till any semblance of completion.
So, what, we get a half baked F-16 in 2026 and the F-4 in 2038? Development times only ever grow. All the talk about "now we have the foundation to do it faster/cheaper", I'll believe it when I see it. And in twenty or so years with ED I've never seen it.
In short, I really don't care which one they do because it's eventual release is so far away that it doesn't matter.
Also, a Change.org petition? Give me a frickin break.