Chapter 10: A Glow Worm Named Danny
D
anny's point of view
T
hree months to the election and my lack of participation on the campaign trail has the staff in a panic. I ignore them and do the very minimum to keep our headquarters mollified.
The campaign manager and my marketing/PR firm create a daily TV show hosted by analysts called, On Capitol Hill. I answer questions and leave the analyst to analyze, forecast, and speculate. They discuss and explain the answers in typical talk show style. The purpose is to have my face and name in front of the American viewers daily. They book me on talk shows, write articles and press releases, and host a Meet the Candidates one-hour program.
They feed sales pitches to the network camouflaged as news, and have important talk shows and political analysts discussing each program, including the anti-terrorist actions, stabilizing the Middle East, the consumer loan and additional tax benefits.
I still visit all the districts, which I hate, but some steps are mandatory. Without two hundred fifty-seven Electoral College votes I'm yesterday's news.
As Election Day approaches, talk show hosts and feature writers for newspapers ask questions and either provide answers, or have a special guest or "expert"do the honors.
Why isn't the incumbent campaigning as much as the other candidates? Why did she enter the race if she will not run? The questions are endless.
The staged answers stick to one theme: Her accomplishments state her platform and show what she can do because of what she has done and is doing. The opponents make promises but she has a track record. Look at what she has accomplished in eight months.
They list the most important items, the biggie being the giant step toward peace in the Middle East, low-interest rate loans for consumers, and my no-nonsense approach to the government.
Close, but no caviar. That line works for educated citizens who understand the issues. Unfortunately, they represent less than twenty-five percent of the vote. The opponents go for the trade unions, special interest groups, unhappy public servants like governors, senators and congress members and ethnic communities. They leave the female vote for me assuming only the liberal votes from equal rights organizations will swing my way. Good call.
***
Six weeks before the election a horrible crisis presents itself. Certain factions like terrorists and unhappy government officials in the Middle East, decide it's in their best interest to remove me from office. They gain support from Capitol hill from those with sore toes, unpaid favors made by the former president, displeased senators, congress members, and special interest groups whose political influence is dwindling.
I'm immune to bribes. I don't need money; I don't care if I am re-elected or not. I am ruthless and never back down and rarely compromise. That insensitive approach impacts international relations and national ones. I'm behind in the polls.
The opposition digs for smut and finds it. But much, much worse, some well-meaning talk show host counters the dirt by pointing out all my military accomplishments and specialized training.
Terrorists and Mobs wonder at the correlation between the President and Hawk's involvement in anti-terrorist activities. Nothing is conclusive, but they don't need proof. It would be convenient if we are the same person, but even if not, we're both a burr up their butt.
Terrorist organizations and certain organized crime groups conclude they will improve their position by planting me in a cornfield, incorporating me in a concrete footer for a skyscraper, or taking me on a diving expedition with added weight but no air.
What bothers my staff is that I don't deny the allegations. At a news conference, a reporter asks: "Madam President, are you now or were you ever the Hawk?"
I laugh. "I may be a buzzard, but have a long way to fly before I enter the ranks of hawks."
Some tried to nail me to the wall. "But Madam President, did you rescue those children in the school last year?"
I shake my head. "I wish I could do something like that, but as the folks on the hill will verify, I would never challenge a machine gun with nothing but water balloons and a paintball gun."
My chief of staff demands that I deny the allegations.
"Teddy, listen to me; the public loves the Hawk. Why miss the chance at being loved with it?" I look at him with innocent eyes.
"Because, Madam President, the Hawk's major enemy is the world's largest terrorist group." His face is firm. "They've been searching for the Hawk, or hawks, with the diligence of a saber tooth tiger with OCD. You won't be alive for the election if you don't set the record straight."
I regard him with sadness. "Too late, Teddy. If they can't prove I'm the goat, I'll be the scapegoat. I'm in their cross hairs no matter what."
***
My enemies are on the prowl. I suspect they will either create events requiring rescue to pull me out into the open too, or wait until one comes up and be ready to take me out as the Hawk, or assassinate me as the President. I'm so depressed that only a ride on Gino's cock will lift my spirits. I smile. See? It's working already just thinking about it.
I'm doing a TV series, coffee with the President, in which I teach various aspects of government that the average citizen doesn't understand, and educate them. At no time do I ask for a vote. I just stay visible and in their face. But folks who watch those programs represent the minority of voters. Grassroots folks have limited interest in understanding macro or micro government issues, but massive voting power.
At the end of the twelfth broadcast, a call comes in on my FBI phone. "Mando, there's a bank robbery in progress with thirty-seven potential hostages that need out. Can you help?" The baiting has begun.
"Where?" I need to know if my suspicions are correct.
"Standard Charter Bank at Faith and Queens," He replies. That's all the confirmation I need. I shake my head and then remember he can't see me.
"No, that's a setup. You guys handle that one."
"Why do you believe it is a setup?" He sounds confused.
"The bank should force Hawks' involvement. Therefore it won't."
Two more forced events go unanswered. When Kammy calls, she's biting at the bullet to solo, but I veto all three.
Since we aren't rising to the bait, the mob will send an assassin to a real event. Those sneaky organized criminals will end my campaign by shooting to kill. Fuck!
The FBI phone buzzes. "Mando, turn on the TV on channel five."
I turn it on to see a familiar scene. A bomb scare in a school. "Why aren't the children on the fifth floor being evacuated?"
"That's the problem. The bomb is right below them protected by locked and bolted doors. They can't get out."
Anger boils inside me. How many more lives will those bastards endanger? I try to remain calm but it's a double struggle.
