Levels of Power

by Mike Gilmore

  “Fair Share is right for the country, and three senators are abusing their Senate privileges to hold up important legislation. The filibuster needs to be stopped and the bill moved into committee.”

  She then pointed to a raised hand near the front of the room. She had seen David Hope of CNN News sitting in a chair near the outer edge of the room with his hand outstretched. The news network tried to offer an unbiased program, but over the last few years, they had been the first network to break several stories that put a bad light on the Miller Administration. She could not totally ignore him, but he would not be the first to get her attention.

  Michael Rennie of the New York Times stood to ask the first question. “Alison, the filibuster has been going on for nearly twenty-one hours. What has the White House done to placate the three senators into giving up their hold on the floor?”

  Alison liked the question. She wore a firm but friendly look on her face. “We have requested an audience with any one of the three senators, but to date they have refused to meet with a member of the White House. The president has refused to cave into their demands. He is fully committed to the American people to ensure hundreds of large corporations producing fifty million dollars of retail income pay their fair share.”

  She looked to Patty Neal of the United Press International. The tall, slender reporter stood her full height, only two inches short of six feet. She was as tall as or taller than most men in the room were. “Alison, the three senators, Saunders, Hanley, and Laird, are members of the Republican Party. It would be no surprise to anyone if the Democrats, who hold power in the Senate, had voted to refrain from sending the Fair Share Bill to committee. To have members of the president’s own party block the bill is quite unusual. Has the president lost touch with his own party?”

  Alison responded in a firm tone. “Absolutely not. The House of Representatives passed the bill in near-record time while the Senate was dealing with other issues. As you know, all legislation concerning taxes must originate within the House of Representatives. The overall response from both Democrat and Republican voters has been overwhelmingly in support of the bill.”

  The questions and answers continued for another twenty minutes. Finally, Alison recognized David Hope from CNN. Hope was in his middle forties and retained his good looks and thick crop of black hair. Standing in front of his chair, Hope seemed not to notice he was probably the last reporter called at the end of the press conference. “Alison, do you think the American voters will start to pay more attention to the three Davids in the Senate as they wage their battle against the White House Goliath the longer the filibuster continues? Will the other senators begin to feel that maybe this bill is wrong?”

  Alison secretly groaned. She knew almost every reporter in the room would reuse Hope’s reference to the three Republican senators. Perhaps it would be worse if the same name were used again by one of the reporters traveling with the president at his speech in Memphis. “I’ll leave the Bible out of this question and simply say the American people have clearly let their feelings be known about the Fair Share Bill. They want the federal government to bring justice to the payment of taxes in this country. The three senators knew who and what they were taking on before they walked onto the floor of the Senate.”

  She gave a little hand wave to indicate the press briefing was closed. “That’s all until our 1:00 p.m. briefing.”

  Some reporters were shouting questions as she left by the side door leading back to her office in the West Wing. She heard several calls with questions referring to the three Davids.

  She passed other people working in the executive mansion and made a beeline for her office. Once in the privacy of her own little kingdom within the White House, she picked up the receiver of her desk phone and placed a call to Warren Fletcher.

  Chapter 27

  Memphis, TN

  Tuesday, December 1, 2015

  9:30 a.m. CST

  Warren Fletcher was riding in the president’s limousine, facing the chief executive as the car raced through the city of Memphis, Tennessee. The governor of Tennessee, Lance Wooten, sat beside Harold Miller, urging him to reconsider the Fair Share Bill. The car was in the middle of a caravan of Secret Service vehicles and vans carrying support personnel. The members of the press were in a bus they were to reimburse the White House for providing.

  The president’s people had recommended Memphis as his first stop of the day. He was scheduled to fly west to Denver, Colorado, later and then northeast to Chicago for an early evening speech before returning to Washington. The president had ordered his staff to select locations in the middle of the country for the Fair Share speech. Memphis was located on the Mississippi River at the junction of two major interstate highways.

  Interstate 40 began near Wilmington, North Carolina, and stretched 2,552 miles west to Barstow, California. Interstate 55 ran from Chicago, south through Memphis, and continued to La Place, Louisiana, providing interstate transportation to more than twenty thousand trucks every day.

  The city of Memphis was the birthplace or home of many famous Americans. Perhaps the most famous was the late Elvis Presley, as well as Johnny Cash, B. B. King, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, and Justin Timberlake.

  The population demographics for the nearly 670,000 Memphis residents were 62.6 percent black Americans, 29.6 percent white, and 5 percent Hispanic, leaving the last 2.9 percent to other ethnic races.

  The combination of interstate traffic and the Mississippi River helped to fuel the economy. The city was home to the corporate offices of Federal Express. Any person traveling to or from the Memphis International Airport could not help but notice more FedEx jet aircraft than all the other commercial airlines combined.

  Fletcher received the telephone call from Alison Warden as Air Force One was nearing Memphis International Airport. He was in the president’s office space on the plane reviewing with him the possible questions he might be asked.

  “Watch for the reporters to refer to the three senators as ‘the Davids’ in a battle of willpower with the White House Goliath. They will want to try to get a reaction from you; we don’t want to elevate them to any sort of celebrity status.”

  Miller nodded in agreement. “The only status they will get from me will be at the bottom of the ladder when they need my help on some pet bill of their own after this is all over.”

  Once on the ground with the 747 parked at a remote location, Miller walked down the stairway and met Tennessee governor Wooten waiting with a big smile for his favorite Republican, the press cameras catching the president’s arrival in Memphis. The two friends shook hands and then walked to the waiting limousine. Once the Secret Service was ready, the line of cars, vans, and one large bus headed for the airport exit.

  The presidential motorcade passed hundreds of people along the travel route from the airport who wanted to see a glimpse of the president or who could not obtain tickets to the president’s speech. The motorcade travel I-240 north to Popular Avenue, turned right onto Central Avenue, and approached the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center across from the University of Memphis campus. The president was to give his speech in the hotel’s grand ballroom.

  On the drive from the airport, Governor Wooten warned his friend about the mixed crowd awaiting him. Most would be in support of the Fair Share Bill, but the president needed to expect some negative reactions mixed in with the cheers.

  “This is home to Federal Express, Harold. You have to expect some of the people in the crowd to be supporting the company’s position. The company thinks they are already paying their fair share, and your new tax will just take more profits from their pockets. I looked at the figures for their 2013 taxes. They paid almost nine hundred million dollars in various taxes to Memphis, the state of Tennessee, and the federal government.”

  Miller looked out the window as his motorcade sped past men and women waving their hands, some carrying miniature
American flags. He used his left hand to indicate the people lined along the street. “Do you want to tell them they need to pay more instead of these billion-dollar corporations?”

  Wooten simply shrugged. “I’m just giving you some advance warning. The corporations are not happy with you. We should have taken a new look at the corporate tax rates and some of the crazy deductions Congress has passed over the years.”

  The president sat in silence for the balance of the trip. Shortly his motorcade reached their destination.

  The three-story Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center, constructed in early 1995 of modern brick and glass, had a huge portico entrance in the middle of an all-glass front wall. A large parking lot on the east side would accommodate most of the guests and their transportation, but the Secret Service deemed the front entrance too exposed for the president’s safety.

  The motorcade pulled into the main entrance by the portico as directed by uniformed Memphis police and supported by Secret Service agents. The president’s limousine turned left onto Deloach Street and traveled a short distance to the rear of the hotel. Assured that all pathways were clear and under constant supervision, the senior agent of his security detail opened the door for the president to exit the vehicle.

  Harold Miller entered a hotel back door and passed through a short entrance hallway that came to a tee. His lead agents turned left, followed the hallway another twenty-five feet, and entered the kitchen area. Extra agents, assigned to other doorway exits along the hallway, would remain there until the president left the hotel.

  The hotel kitchen staff, forced to stop their cleanup work from the morning breakfast, watched their president and governor, along with members of their staffs, quickly move through their work area. The president waved, smiled, and even stopped to shake a few hands with the closest staff. Wooten joined in on the festive mood to spend a few moments with some of his supporters.

  The hotel manager waited inside the kitchen next to the large set of double doors that opened into the grand ballroom. Miller stopped to shake hands with the fifteen-year hotel veteran as Wooten continued on to make the introduction for the chief executive.

  The sound of the crowd through the doors made conversation inside the kitchen area difficult. As the governor reached the end of his short introduction speech, Miller grew quiet as he mentally prepared for his speech. All the people around him stopped talking so as not to break his concentration.

  On stage in the grand ballroom, Governor Wooten looked out over the assembly. The packed room of nearly fifteen hundred people must have reached the maximum limit allowed by the local fire marshal. He had them pumped up and full of excitement. He finished his opening remarks with a fanfare of words.

  “This is a great day for Memphis and Tennessee. We have our country’s leader waiting to speak with you, so let us not delay any longer. Ladies and gentlemen … the president of the United States.”

  Two Secret Service agents stood inside the ballroom doors from the kitchen. Their protectee waited for them to open them. They heard their supervisor authorize them to open the doors when ready before they made a final sweep of the room through their dark sunglasses. They each had a hand on to the edge of the doors and quickly opened them to allow the president to enter the grand ballroom. The Munford High School band, winners of the latest Bandmasters Championship under the direction of Robert Preston, had been playing before the governor came onto the stage. They now struck up “Hail to the Chief”, and the president walked out of the kitchen area at a brisk pace and took the four steps up to the stage area two at a time.

  Governor Wooten was waiting for him. The two men shook hands and exchanged big smiles for the cameras. Wooten then stepped back to take a seat with the other dignitaries behind Miller at the podium. The president’s speech was already showing on the monitor, ready for him to refer to as needed.

  Miller waved to the cheering crowd with outstretched arms and looked around the huge ballroom. Three seventy-two-inch LCD monitors, mounted at strategic locations, would allow people farther back from the stage to see the president. Miller let the cheering continue. He wanted the television crews to capture the audience’s high spirit and enthusiasm. After several minutes he started to speak.

  “Thank you. Thank you. It’s wonderful to be here in the great state of Tennessee, home to the best country western music in the world.”

  The fifteen hundred people cheered again in support of his statement. Miller continued to smile, feeling the emotion coming off the people. He raised his hands once again to bring the audience noise level down and slowly they retook their chairs.

  “Thank you again. I want to acknowledge some people here who helped to make this event a success. Thank you, Lance Wooten … a great governor for Tennessee.”

  Again, the crowd rose from their seats to show their approval.

  Maintaining his smile, Miller again waved them back down. He then mentioned the members of the local Republican Party and their position in the Memphis or Tennessee community positioned around the raised platform at various locations. It appeared he was just selecting their names at random from memory. In reality, the names appeared in his speech and displayed on the teleprompter. After naming eight or nine people, he came to the last person on his list.

  “I wanted to thank Dr. Amy Carnes for being here today. Dr. Carnes is the chairperson of the Robert Wang Center for International Business Education and Research here at the University of Tennessee. The center, designated since 1989 by the US Department of Education, is a place where students, business executives, and academic professionals can join to become culturally conscious and globally competent in our diverse global society. This school is helping to develop business leaders not only for companies doing business in the United States but anywhere in the world. Dr. Carnes, please stand up.”

  Dr. Carnes, fifty-two years of age, had long, thick curly red hair. She held a doctorate in international economics. Seated next to Governor Wooten, she stood by her chair to the cheering of the audience. The president turned from the podium to locate her and acknowledge her smile to him.

  When the crowd had quieted down President Miller resumed his speech. “Economics, business, taxes. Those subjects are the reason we are here today. American and foreign corporations are selling their products in the United States, which you are purchasing. Maybe you even work for them. They are earning millions and in some cases billions of dollars in profit each year and not paying any income taxes. Is that fair? Do you think that is fair?”

  The crowd was on their feet yelling, “Not fair. Not fair. Not fair.”

  President Miller, a small polite smile on his face, let the chanting continue for almost half a minute. He finally raised his arms to urge the crowd to retake their seats. Before resuming his speech, he raised his hands a short distance off the podium. “Why are federal income taxes necessary? Nobody likes to pay taxes. I came from Wall Street, and I certainly did not want to pay income taxes any more than you do. However, just like you, I did not have a choice.

  “Federal and state governments must collect taxes to pay for the services provided to every citizen. States provide schools for your children. Cities provide for your police and fire departments. They do this to provide for a stable community for you to raise your families.”

  He paused for several seconds. “The federal government needs the tax dollars to pay for the men and women in our armed forces. We have federal construction projects like roads and bridges. We have federal agencies, like the Department of Agriculture, to ensure the food you purchase is safe to eat. Most importantly, your tax dollars allow the United States government to provide a safe and stable form of government for companies to develop, manufacture, and sell their products. Without that … without government stability, their investor’s money and the money you invest in your 401-Ks would be at risk.”

  The president paused to look over the crowd. T
hey were listening closely to his words. Other than an occasional cough or the sound of cameras snapping digital photos, the room was quiet.

  The president had an open business portfolio on the podium that contained his speech, though he felt more comfortable using the teleprompter. He reached to the back of the portfolio, pulled out several stapled sheets of papers, and held them up for the crowd to see. “This is a portion of the 2014 tax forms of a publically held US company. They are required to release an annual income statement to their stockholders. Many of you probably have stock in this company. In 2014, they made over forty billion dollars from their worldwide operations. Their tax obligations amounted to just below two percent.”

  The crowd remained quiet as he continued. “Two percent. That is around eight hundred million in taxes. The average American is paying thirty percent or more of their total income toward their tax obligation.”

  He paused as he waved the tax forms above his head. “Two percent.” He dropped the papers onto the podium and pointed toward the middle of the fifteen hundred people sitting quietly in the room. “Thirty percent.

  “Two percent by a big company making billions. Do you think that’s a fair share?”

  The crowd was instantly on its feet. Some were yelling, “No!” but others were chanting, “Fair share!” Slowly voices all switched to the “Fair share” chant.

  The president allowed them to continue for almost a full minute before he gestured with his arms to bring them back to their seats. “A fair share. That is what I am fighting for in Washington. The House of Representatives passed the Corporate America Fair Share Bill in a very short time under the leadership of Speaker Larry Frye. It looked like we were going to get reasonable action in the Senate, even with a Democratic majority. Even a Democrat who announced his candidacy for the presidency said he would let the American people decide the issue has remained silent.”