“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” Chessa told Stephanie, lying in bed in her flannel pajamas. Darren had gone out for drinks with Pete and their campaign staff to discuss “last-minute preparations.”
“And it’s only just beginning. I don’t know if I can make it one more month, let alone another year. And if he wins—”
“Remember—one day at a time.” Stephanie responded with her favorite Al-Anon saying, but Chessa was tired of the program jargon.
“That’s easy for people who aren’t looking ahead to possibly becoming the First Lady of the United States of America, and who want nothing more than to get out of the country and escape to some remote island. Stephanie, I need you as a friend, not a sponsor, right now. I’m supposed to get on a plane to Iowa early tomorrow morning, and I feel sick about it. I can’t stand my husband’s phoniness, or my own. I hate the thought of stepping foot again in the Midwest in the dead of winter and plastering a smile on my face, then going to the parties that night where everybody has too much to drink. I’m at the point where I really hope my husband makes such a drastic mistake that he loses in the next few weeks. Maybe I should just publicly humiliate him by announcing I’m going to divorce him. But then, of course, that would be completely selfish, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself and the guilt of it all.”
“Have you prayed about it? Asked what God’s will is?”
“Stephanie! You’re not hearing me. This isn’t your typical Al-Anon problem, you know.”
“There are no typical problems in our program. Chessa, all I know is that our little slogans and sayings are the tools that really work. Remember, with Al-Anon no situation is too difficult to be bettered and no unhappiness is too great to be lessened. Let me ask you this: Do you still love Darren?”
“I don’t know.” Chessa sighed aloud, tired of asking herself that question and not knowing the answer.
“Okay, what do you think is the next right thing to do?
“You tell me.”
“How about suit up and show up?”
“What about ‘to thine own self be true’?”
“Are you being true to yourself if you don’t show up tomorrow and instead get on a plane headed out of the country? Will you be able to live with that? What will make you feel better about yourself? Whatever that is, it will eventually be what makes you happiest I suppose.”
Chessa moaned. She knew Stephanie was right. She should do what would make her feel best about herself. After considering her options, Chessa knew she would feel terrible in the long run if she didn’t stand by her husband. Even though she thought about it more and more often as time went by, Chessa believed divorce wasn’t the answer. She had seen what that had done to her parents.
She did realize deep at her core that she no longer felt love for her husband. Somewhere inside that feeling had left her when he started being drunk and abusive. Yet, she also knew she could still choose to love him.
Ironically, she was proud of her husband lately, for all he had accomplished, for his ambitions and mission. And she knew he was trying, after all, to be a decent husband, even if it was to put on a good show.
She was proud of his platform too, which he had shared with her, practicing reading it aloud in their bedroom to her on the nights she wasn’t already asleep when he came home. Darren said he would be working to create jobs to improve the nation’s economy, especially those in “green” industries which he said in turn would better the environment. He was planning to pull all troops out of the Mideast, leaving them to their own affairs, and would use the millions of dollars in military savings to focus on building better weapons, technologies and security at home.
He also told her about RA Technologies’ plan to use stem cell research to find a cure for diabetes. Darren said he had to defend the research against “misinformed” attackers who said it was promoting the killing of unborn fetuses, human egg harvesting, cloning and genetic selection. And, of course, he was fighting for women’s rights, including the right to choose.
Chessa hung up from Stephanie, if not happier, then at least feeling a bit more peaceful. She couldn’t help but hear the Serenity Prayer in her head as she busied herself packing her suitcase: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
There’s nothing I can change, at least not tonight, she thought. So acceptance must be the answer, at least for now. She told herself she had to accept that she was married to Darren because she didn’t want to end up divorced like her parents. Plus she still did want to become the First Lady of the United States so she could have virtually unlimited resources at her disposal to work for the poor, underprivileged, abused and suffering people of the world. So, as his wife, she decided she needed to accept she was going to Iowa the next day and all that went along with it. She could only change her outlook and her attitude.
Who knows, maybe Iowa won’t be so bad after all, Chessa hoped, picking out her fanciest dress for the parties the next night.
For company while she packed, Chessa flipped on the television in their bedroom. She heard the voice of Leif Mitchell and looked over at the screen to see the young presidential candidate talking in the microphone to a reporter about the upcoming Iowa caucus.
The female reporter, Chessa noticed, had sidled up to the country-rock star closely, apparently to hear his answer to her question. “… Sure, I’m nervous but I feel confident I can do a good job representing the American people and leading them in the right direction,” Leif said.
“You know, Iowa doesn’t historically have the best record of picking winners, at least on the Republican side,” the reporter said. “In fact, since 1972, the only Republican candidate to have won both the Iowa caucuses and the presidency is George W. Bush in the 2000 race. Still, political analysts agree it’s very important to place in the top three in Iowa. The only GOP nominee since 1972 who did not finish in the top three in Iowa was John McCain in 2008. Does that make you feel any added pressure?”
“On the contrary, ma’am,” Leif said, his words escaping in his slight Southern drawl. “McCain came out in front in the long run, right? And I only have three people in the ring with me, so I’m bound to at least come in fourth just like good old John did. How bad can that be?” Leif flashed the reporter a big grin. She seemed to become flustered, as if he had cast some type of spell on her.
“Um, uh, okay then, good luck, Governor Mitchell,” the reporter finally stammered out. “May the best man…or woman…win.”
“That’s all I ask, ma’am.” And with that Leif tipped his cowboy hat to the camera, which then cut to the anchors with other news.
Once again Chessa found herself thinking about Leif Mitchell well after she had turned off the television set. I’ll probably end up meeting him eventually, Chessa thought. I just hope I’m not like that dumb reporter, all swooning. But I have to admit, there’s something about him that’s… special. It was more than just his rugged good looks or his cowboy charm, Chessa realized. Something spiritual. Something good.
Following the Iowa caucus, Leif was scheduled for his first televised debate. Attending would be his archrival, US Senator Patrick O’Rourke, an outspoken Republican who was second to Leif in the polls and primary elections held thus far, along with the other two trailing candidates—an elderly but very wealthy conservative businessman from New York and a U.S. Congresswoman from Michigan who had climbed the political ladder for nearly thirty years.
O’Rourke was expected to push Leif on the issue of abortion to declare his stance since Leif had been relatively silent on the matter to date, as well as question him as to his divorce and suspiciously quick rise to the top.
Leif was on the defensive during most of the debate, but managed to be truthful without giving too much information away that would damage the Greene family reputation in any way. He had given Martin his word. He admitted that he didn’t have political aspirat
ions before Ray Silas had approached him and his brothers, but ever since entering the field of government he enjoyed serving the public and felt it was now his calling. He admitted he didn’t have the most experience with American politics or government, but said his trip overseas to Israel had given him a whole new perspective. He said he believed the only way to maintain world peace was to stay involved in the Middle East, protect Israel and maintain the United States as a superpower, no matter what it took.
When questioned on the pro-life versus pro-choice issue, Leif didn’t hesitate to give his view. “I’m wholeheartedly against abortion, and not just because my faith is or my party is,” he said, his voice choking with genuine emotion. “My former wife and I lost two babies. I would give the world to have them back and can’t fathom anyone willingly destroying an innocent life for any reason.”
His answer seemed to not only satisfy the audience but stir compassion for him, and his opponent quickly abandoned the topic to discuss the economy.
The polls the next day surprisingly showed Leif out in front of O’Rourke by a two-to-one margin. The other two subsequently dropped out of the race shortly thereafter.
Darren had to debate two other Democratic candidates that had come forward in the race. One was a relatively bland US Congressman from Idaho who was new to the political arena, was not well known, had little funding and didn’t really stand much of a chance.
The other candidate would be a bit more challenging. He was a charismatic US Senator from California who had lots of experience and seniority as well as popularity among his constituents, including those in Hollywood. He was also the son of a popular Christian minister and had his own inspirational TV show. Darren was banking on the hope that the guy’s extreme left-wing liberalism and ultra-religious persona would actually offend voters rather than attract them.
So Darren focused his money and advertising on the California senator and ran enough television ads prior to the debate—depicting him as a radical extremist and Bible-thumping Holy Roller out to convert everyone to his beliefs without knowing a lick about governing a nation—that he practically beat him before he came out of the starting gate.
The bottom line remained: Darren Richards had the personality, experience, support, agenda, and most of all funding to shut everyone else out and to win, and he was running for office in a time when money meant everything.
The sweeping changes in campaign financing rules set forth in the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United versus the Federal Election now allowed corporations like RA Technologies to use their treasury funds to air political ads. The new law also struck down the McCain-Feingold Act that formerly prohibited “electioneering communications,” or television commercials that slammed a candidate within sixty days of a general election or thirty days of a primary.
Darren took full advantage of this no-holds-barred political arena, running commercials against his primary candidates during prime-time network programming, including the AFC and NFC football league championship games and even the Super Bowl.
He continued to win the caucuses and primaries in state after state, from Iowa and New Hampshire to the handful of races on Super Tuesday in March to New York and California. Darren Richards kept pummeling his Democratic adversaries until, finally, each had dropped out and he could focus on the one man leading the opposing pack: Leif Mitchell.
Although it was a boon to his campaign, Darren’s wealthy upbringing and status could prove to be his greatest challenge, according to critics, who said he might alienate or be unable to identify with the poor, working, and middle classes.
Ironically, in the presidential race that was shaping up, the Democratic candidate was the rich man and the Republican candidate was the one who had come from, if not a poor family, definitely a working-class one.
Compared to Darren, Leif had to work harder with less funding to defeat his Republican foes in the primaries. But his conservative stance continued to distinguish him from the rest, his humble upbringing endeared him to the lower and middle classes, and his cowboy, rockstar magnetism kept him in the limelight despite his lack of funds, putting him consistently ahead in popularity polls not only with the conservatives but with many Americans, especially women who found him irresistible.
Although he didn’t win them all like Darren, and he had to struggle a bit more with less funding than his Republican adversaries, Leif ended up out front in most of the state caucuses and primaries from east to west leading up to the summer national conventions.
Both Darren and Leif eventually found themselves the primary leaders in their respective political parties. They would be the upcoming stars of the biggest event the Republican and Democratic parties threw every four years—the national conventions.
The winner of the bid for host city of the Republican National Convention, which would take place at the end of July, was New Orleans, with its one-million-square-foot Ernest N. Memorial Convention Center, the sixth largest convention center in the country, situated along the Mississippi River within walking distance of the French Quarter. New Orleans had put a competitive bid out, hoping to further boost its flagging economy, which had finally started growing after the long drought of business following Hurricane Katrina.
With its musical origins and Southern flair, Leif was happy to hear about the venue, knowing he would feel right at home. He even hoped he’d be able to hook up with a jazz band or two to jam with at night once the politicking was over.
Meanwhile, the Democratic convention would be returning in early August to the newly expanded convention center in downtown Baltimore, the city that had first hosted the event in 1832.
With their unyieldingly tight schedules of late, Darren and Chessa were also happy to hear about their destination since it was close to home and meant less travel time. Chessa had also never spent any time in Baltimore and hoped to see the Inner Harbor and savor some Chesapeake Bay seafood.
Both conventions drew about fifty thousand party members each, a record number, and were considered a huge success. Along with the candidates’ enigmatic and electrifying personalities, the election was already shaping up to possibly become one of the most enthralling in US history.
Darren had been repeatedly questioned by the media, holding them off like dogs at bay, about who would be his running mate during the conventions.
But his announcement soon after took even the most jaded media by surprise. Darren chose the beautiful, charismatic, well-spoken young actress, political activist, and US Congresswoman Janine Secour as his vice-presidential running mate and let the world know on a sunny summer day at a live press conference just outside Rockefeller Plaza following NBC’s Today Show.
Janine was also a New York City native, a former Miss New York, and had graduated from Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana, where she had majored in political science and minored in theater. While in college, she had served in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and continued active duty for two years before beginning her acting career on Broadway and then getting married. Discovered on stage, Janine was offered a small part in a movie that became a blockbuster hit, which launched her acting career. She had quickly landed leading parts in two big-name movies, starring as a husband-stealer in a romance-comedy and a young wife dying of cancer in a drama adapted from a New York Times best-selling novel.
But she had always kept involved with activist groups, championing veterans’ and women’s causes, including, respectively, increased welfare, unemployment and veterans benefits and abortion rights. She had recently run for the US congressional office in her home state and easily won, and was just starting her second term, having put her acting career on temporary hold.
Darren and Janine stood behind a podium bedecked with a dozen microphones, with flashes popping and video cameras whirring. They appeared quite the dashing couple, he in his pinstriped dark-navy suit and red tie, and she in a turquoise suit with a white blouse and winter white overcoat with a just a touch o
f red in her lipstick and scarf to match Darren’s tie.
Janine was a blond bombshell. Many compared her to the late Marilyn Monroe. She had even had her hair and makeup styled to match Marilyn’s for the announcement event, causing many to do a double take.
Of course, Chessa was standing at her husband’s other side as they made their announcement, with Janine’s husband, John, beside her. A quiet, conservative businessman, John dutifully smiled and nodded at the right moments, as did Chessa. But no one was really paying them much attention, given the presence of the handsome US senator from New York and the beauty queen at his side.
Leif had selected none other than Jordan Greene as his running mate following the conventions. His televised announcement on the front lawn of the governor’s mansion that mid-August morning was an even bigger shock to the media and the country than Darren’s.
The ruddy, golden-haired presidential candidate and his darker-haired but equally handsome running mate smiled for the cameras amid a gathering of about two hundred supporters, and were dubbed by one clever reporter as the new “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
But Darren and Janine—touted by news magazines and fashion columnists alike as the “new Kennedy king and queen” of the times—had plenty of mud to sling at their opponents. Both were US military veterans, while it was pointed out often that neither Leif nor Jordan had served in the military. In fact, Leif’s Middle East achievements already started to fade a bit in comparison, according to opinion polls. Second, both Darren and Janine were married, a family value that apparently wasn’t important to their opposing team according to critics. Detractors claimed that Jordan, an unmarried yet eligible single man, might become distracted on the campaign trail, and Leif, a divorcée, couldn’t even keep his marriage together much less handle an entire country. Third, Darren Richards was ten years older than Leif and had a whole lot more political and government experience. And last, but certainly not least, the Richards campaign and media alike claimed Leif Mitchell’s candidacy had already been tarnished by his father-in-law and party predecessor, President Martin Greene, who would forever be branded as a president who was not only a failure but a quitter as well.
The Peace Maker Page 18
