The Land of the Free: American Political Roleplay (IC III)

[The Grand Duchy Of Nova Capile]

Returning to Washington, feeling empowered by Puerto Rico's landslide win, she delivered interviews in the morning from Washington. First national press, then local radios in Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio and Arizona. Then for an early lunch, she had invited Senator Bunker from California to a much needed brunch, she chose a nearby coffee shop with brunch and arrived before her guest, and promptly ordered herself a cappuccino extra shot.

(Image)

Buster arrived at the café, feeling a little nervous, but having mostly recovered from the shock of his previous meeting with Raph Navarro. He was hopeful that his Senate colleague would be reasonable and, more importantly, espouse a platform he would feel comfortable endorsing.

Never a big coffee drinker— the beverage only made him more jittery than usual— he had ordered a matcha latte, and sat sipping, allowing himself to relax despite the tumult of patrons all around him. Buster looked up with a nervous smile as he saw Dayton approach. As she took a seat he leaned forward and extended his hand.

"Th— Thank you for t— taking the time to meet with me, Senator."

[The Grand Duchy Of Nova Capile]

“Well, one thing might be to hold a joint rally with Governor Richardson, that way you’ll have the opportunity to make your own endorsement clearer as well as allowing the Governor the opportunity to also endorse you. Regarding policy, you could potentially pivot away from focusing on the national debt from when Mayor Baines was in the Bahamian administration and instead focus on policies that whilst still having an economic focus, will hit closer to home. If I remember correctly, you mentioned to me the last time we spoke that you were writing a bill on child tax credits?”

Clay nodded pensively, appearing to take Volker's words in good faith due to his respect for the man.

"I'll have my people reach out to Nate's pronto," he assented, then, "and my campaign is already making that pivot. I've been trying to redirect as much economic relief to Texan industries as I can. There's only so much I can do, but my constituents will certainly know that I'm doing it."

He tossed his shoulders and sat up at the mention of his Child Tax Credit Expansion Act. "Yes, that was a key priority of mine," Crawford explained. "In fact... In fact, Nate said that he didn't mind if we moved that up on the docket. It got waylaid in my head due to this whole situation, but..." He made steady eye contact with Volker. "But if you think the time is right to move ahead with it, Tom..."

[Sarenium]

Returning to Washington, feeling empowered by Puerto Rico's landslide win, she delivered interviews in the morning from Washington. First national press, then local radios in Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio and Arizona. Then for an early lunch, she had invited Senator Bunker from California to a much needed brunch, she chose a nearby coffee shop with brunch and arrived before her guest, and promptly ordered herself a cappuccino extra shot.

(Image)

Buster arrived at the café, feeling a little nervous, but having mostly recovered from the shock of his previous meeting with Raph Navarro. He was hopeful that his Senate colleague would be reasonable and, more importantly, espouse a platform he would feel comfortable endorsing.

Never a big coffee drinker— the beverage only made him more jittery than usual— he had ordered a matcha latte, and sat sipping, allowing himself to relax despite the tumult of patrons all around him. Buster looked up with a nervous smile as he saw Dayton approach. As she took a seat he leaned forward and extended his hand.

"Th— Thank you for t— taking the time to meet with me, Senator."

"Hello!" she grinned warmly, shaking his hand as she took her seat, "my staffers recommended this place back when I was in the House," she smiled as she glanced at the menu, "and well, campaigning calls for efficiency. Nothing more efficiency then skipping a meal and calling the next one Brunch," she looked up at him with the same warm smile, "how have you found the Senate?"

[The Grand Duchy Of Nova Capile]

"Hello!" she grinned warmly, shaking his hand as she took her seat, "my staffers recommended this place back when I was in the House," she smiled as she glanced at the menu, "and well, campaigning calls for efficiency. Nothing more efficiency then skipping a meal and calling the next one Brunch," she looked up at him with the same warm smile, "how have you found the Senate?"

Jillian gave off a warm and down-to-earth air, and Buster found himself feeling more comfortable by degrees as their brunch began.

"It's..." Buster trailed off, searching for the right words after chuckling politely at her joke. "...A lot." He laughed again. "Especially right now. S— Sometimes, it can be too much." He quickly added, trying not to bring the mood down too much, "But it can be so rewarding, too. To see something you've drafted and revised and toiled over become law." He knew Dayton knew exactly what he was talking about. "I... I want to be part of a change. In the Senate, in America. Th— That's why I supported Levi. At first."

[Sarenium]

"Hello!" she grinned warmly, shaking his hand as she took her seat, "my staffers recommended this place back when I was in the House," she smiled as she glanced at the menu, "and well, campaigning calls for efficiency. Nothing more efficiency then skipping a meal and calling the next one Brunch," she looked up at him with the same warm smile, "how have you found the Senate?"

Jillian gave off a warm and down-to-earth air, and Buster found himself feeling more comfortable by degrees as their brunch began.

"It's..." Buster trailed off, searching for the right words after chuckling politely at her joke. "...A lot." He laughed again. "Especially right now. S— Sometimes, it can be too much." He quickly added, trying not to bring the mood down too much, "But it can be so rewarding, too. To see something you've drafted and revised and toiled over become law." He knew Dayton knew exactly what he was talking about. "I... I want to be part of a change. In the Senate, in America. Th— That's why I supported Levi. At first."

"I respect that," she nodded along respectfully as the waitress brought about their drinks and she ordered her Eggs Benedict, "Levi can certainly inspire a degree of support at a first glance," she agreed, "what exactly convinced you to drop him?"

[Lavan Tiri]

Representative Jason Evander
@JasonFromSD

Too much American farmland is owned by foreigners and aliens. Time to return to HARD WORKING AMERICANS

[Greater Arab State]

“Well, one thing might be to hold a joint rally with Governor Richardson, that way you’ll have the opportunity to make your own endorsement clearer as well as allowing the Governor the opportunity to also endorse you. Regarding policy, you could potentially pivot away from focusing on the national debt from when Mayor Baines was in the Bahamian administration and instead focus on policies that whilst still having an economic focus, will hit closer to home. If I remember correctly, you mentioned to me the last time we spoke that you were writing a bill on child tax credits?”

Clay nodded pensively, appearing to take Volker's words in good faith due to his respect for the man.

"I'll have my people reach out to Nate's pronto," he assented, then, "and my campaign is already making that pivot. I've been trying to redirect as much economic relief to Texan industries as I can. There's only so much I can do, but my constituents will certainly know that I'm doing it."

He tossed his shoulders and sat up at the mention of his Child Tax Credit Expansion Act. "Yes, that was a key priority of mine," Crawford explained. "In fact... In fact, Nate said that he didn't mind if we moved that up on the docket. It got waylaid in my head due to this whole situation, but..." He made steady eye contact with Volker. "But if you think the time is right to move ahead with it, Tom..."

“I think the time is right, I’m sure the Governor will be able to find an alternative policy to campaign on. We can have the bill prioritised on the docket moving forward.”

[New Cobastheia]

Representative Jason Evander
@JasonFromSD

Too much American farmland is owned by foreigners and aliens. Time to return to HARD WORKING AMERICANS

Liked and Retweeted by @ChipRenfusMS

[Emazia]

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

You know where they should put the nuclear waste plant? In Marty Spellman's house! Then it'll actually have a use!

Martin Spellman
@thespellman

---

I'd fireback that the plant should instead be at your campaign headquarters but given that that place is already a dumpster fire, landfill, and waste treatment plant all in one, I think there is more than enough going on. Zoning laws and all!

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

If you're such a big man, Mr. Spellman, why don't you go and debate me in person?

[Emazia]

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

We must work, as a movement, to be the BULWARK against American communism! The communists are coming - from the campuses, from the special interest lobby groups and from the radical Marxist elites! I will pledge to stand against communism in all its forms, and resist the economic warfare that Red China has placed upon us!

[Dentali]

Nate Richardson
Mahong County, Ohio
Sunday April 12th, 2020

“Good Morning! Terrific crowd here today, thank you all for coming. I say it time and again but I never stop being humbled by people coming out to support our campaign or just hear us out, heck even the protestors I want to thank you participating in the process.”

“You know i’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently about where we are going as a country, not just in terms of policies made or the goals we set that have very tangible and measurable effects but where we are going regarding the hearts and minds of our citizens. The soul and spirit of our country, the character of our nation.”

“Folks i’m an optimist, I feel our nation’s best days are ahead of us but that doesn’t mean I don’t have concerns. Time and again I think about a quote about why the left and the elite hates President Wolf so much, ‘they don’t so much hate him, they hate YOU and he’s just in the way.’”

“The left isn’t just trying to push failed policies, they are pushing to destroy entire ways of life, any faucet of American culture that the coastal elite doesn’t agree with. Whether its banning fracking, undermining the police, or confiscating guns, the leaders of the democratic party and the leftmost wing are out to fundamentally and radically change the country.”

“The priorities of these leftists are things like forcing nuns to take birth control, forcing bakers to make cakes, and forcing our daughters to compete with biological boys in track and field for scholarships, they ignore the thousands of children being trafficked across the border to be forced into sexual slavery. These are authoritarian tendencies, these are intolerant tendencies pushed by the Left while they accuse US of being fascists, of being racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic and every other vile accusation you can think of.”

“Meanwhile you have a growing wing of the Democratic party turning their backs to Israel and ignoring the antisemitism spread by elected members of their party. You have a Democratic party lifting up voices that excuse and even celebrate the violent and socialist regimes of Cuba and Venezuela while chiding our nation for actions taken hundreds of years before they were born. You have a Democratic party that is increasingly interested in taking your guns over creating jobs and prosperity. You have a Democratic Party that continually denounces President Wolf as a racist despite creating the best economy for minorities in decades.”

“This is not the Democratic party of generations past. In the 90s the party would have treated (Not Sanders) and Murphy as the fringe of their party, like some distant relation you’re ashamed of. Socialism should not become the mainstream of any political party as it is increasingly becoming with the Democratic Party. America must NEVER become a socialist nation, if you value your basic liberties and way of life.”

“I don’t argue that some of the ideas the left is pushing are popular, like raising taxes on the wealthy or raising the minimum wage. Heck I agree that we haven’t seen nearly enough wealth and prosperity get to the working class in the past few decades and we need to focus on addressing that… But at the end of the day these policies are just a trojan horse for Wokeism and economic pseudoscience. And these are the people being championed by far too many people in the so called mainstream media, and these reporters who frankly can’t understand why a working class family in Wisconsin or why an immigrant from Venezuela in Miami doesn’t agree with their radical views.”

“But this isn’t anything new… not really. Each generation seems to think it is the first one to discover socialism and present it as a cure all. We have defeated it before and we will do so again. We will pursue a more perfect union, defined not by socialism and restrictions but through advancing liberty, protecting freedoms and ensuring our growing prosperity, the fruits of the Wolf economy, is felt by all Americans.”

“Liberalism failed in the 60s and the 70s and out of that failure saw the Reagan administration and the greatest peacetime economic recovery in history, 3 million new businesses and 20 million new jobs. And it is out of the Baharia administration that the prosperity of the Wolf-Tawney administration was achieved.”

“The left does not know how to build our country or our people up, they only know how to tear America down. And I don’t know about you but I am a heck of a lot more interested in building the country and getting things done then making sure we are appropriately woke.”

“If you do not agree with the Left on an issue they inherently believe you are deplorable, irredeemable…. Not just that but if you don’t care ENOUGH, or you don’t care in exactly the right way, you are irredeemable. Nevermind your concerns, nevermind your reservations, you will be destroyed.”

“No longer does the Democratic party want to be safe, legal and rare, it must be on demand no matter when in the pregnancy, even during birth and in some cases after birth. It is a sad thing to say that the only political party that can and will defend a basic right to life is the Republican party.”

“No longer does the Democratic party just want Gay Marriage. You have an out of control left trying to destroy people who refuse to decorate cakes. Jack Phillips of Colorado was the subject of a crusade by the state of Colorado for 7 years because he wouldn’t bake a cake for a gay wedding. The Supreme Court found he was the victim of ‘clear and impermissible hostility toward sincere religious beliefs.’ He was called a Nazi, a segregationist, and many other vile things just because he refused to be bullied.”

“And its still not over for Mr Phillips, he was targeted again in 2017 over refusing to design a transgender themed cake and one celebrating Satan. This will not stop unless we stand firm against these attacks, this will not stop unless we draw a line in the sand and say your right to conscience and beliefs will not be infringed.”

“The growing leftist movement, this neo-socialist movement, has the agenda of unlimited abortion on demand, an activist supreme court, curbing religious freedoms, discrimination against faith based schools and faith based institutions. These are not policies meant to help Americans, these are policies meant to force you and your children to conform.”

“We can see now how out of control woke politics often infringe on the rights of Americans. The scandal last year at Harvard where it was found that fraud and corruption was perpetrated in the name of wokeness. We see now that black and hispanic students at some schools are up to 500 times more likely to be admitted than white or asian students. At Harvard the average white or asian student had to score over 200 points higher on the SATs to be admitted. This is the so-called enlightened elite discriminating against Americans based on the color of their skin. As Senator Dayton is so fond of saying… lets put fairness first.”

“The Republican party is the party of rights, liberty, and freedom. Freedom of choice in schools, freedom of conscience, freedom of religious liberty, freedom to protect yourselves and your family, the freedom to make a decent living and control your own destiny. We are the party of the right to life, the rights of small towns and communities, the party of judges who interpret the law as written, and the party of those who believe our nation was founded on admirable principles.”

“Just look at the tantrums over the supreme court nominations of President Wolf we have seen in the past few years. The truth is no matter who was selected as Supreme Court Justices the Left would attempt to destroy them. That is because the single biggest threat to the socialist project of the Far Left then the Supreme Court. Mark my words that should the Democrats gain the Presidency we will immediately see a court packing scheme that will threaten to destroy the legitimacy of the Court and the separation of powers.”

“The Left is under the impression that the system exists purely to facilitate their agenda, and when something stands in its way, whether the courts or the electoral college, it means the system is broken. After 2010 when the American people rejected the radical agenda of President Baharia and Congress stifled his agenda the Left claimed the system was broken. I heard that again and again, but now that the House is using those same powers to hold back the Wolf and Tawney administrations its ‘resistance’ instead of ‘obstruction’, and the media stops decrying gridlock and instead celebrates it.”

“This is nothing new, for the past 40 years since the nomination of (Not David Souter) we have seen leftist hysteria and fear-mongering over judges appointed by Republicans who call balls and strikes rather than treat the bench as a platform by which to impose their personal political views. It has become a sort of crusade for the left, originalism is a clear and present danger to socialism and so called wokeness.”

“Today we see many politicians promoting ‘revolution’, I understand that… revolution is genetic for Americans. We were founded in revolution and both sides of the aisle have a tendency to call for big change, that’s just fundamental to the American character. But as I go across the country and actually talk with Americans, from North Carolina to Wisconsin, and Ohio and everywhere in between I hear Americans asking to help improve their lives in tangible ways. The American people don’t want the kind of political and economic revolution the Left is promising, they want someone to help with medical bills and paying off student loans.”

“At the end of the day what the American people want... is the people they love to have a little more, and the Left is telling them they can have it if they make sure people they hate have a lot less.”

“But this is social engineering disguised as solutions. Look at gun rights… Every single proposal the Left makes to fight gun violence is just going to annoy and restrict law abiding gun owners. New restrictions on licensed gun dealers and those who buy from them who are among the least criminal demographic in the country… restricting them is not going to reduce violent crime. But these are the solutions proposed instead of actually prosecuting straw buyer cases, instead of actually going after repeat violent offenders or focusing on gun trafficking aggressively. But Progressives aren’t interested in that because the real goal is just to create less gun owners, not less violence.”

“Look at abortion, Planned Parenthood gets about $60 million through the Title X program. It would be incredibly simple for a bunch of limousine liberals like John Donaldson to fund that Planned Parenthood and every abortion it provides. But the goal isn’t to fund abortions, its to force those who oppose abortion to pay for it. The legal battle with Little Sisters of the Poor isn’t about getting nuns the birth control they desperately need; it's about forcing religious institutions to conform to the worldview of the Left.”

“How many of these new progressives like (Not AOC) are going to have Netflix deals? Baharia came into office decrying the evils of capitalism and yet leaves the office with millions through book deals and Netflix deals… (Not Sanders) has how many homes?”

“This is not what the American people really want, even as the Left calls us sexist racist, and xenophobic, even as they discount the chances of the Republican party in an America that becomes increasingly diverse. We do see younger people disillusioned by the Republican party, some of this is from leftist propaganda but we need to get better about messaging too.”

“We need to focus more on upward mobility both in rhetoric and policy. Homeownership among 25-34 year olds went from 45% in 2000 to 37% in 2016. But 9 out of 10 millennials want to own a single family home, but they are less likely to own homes than their parents. That's because of high rental costs, bad labor markets, and massive amounts of college debt. Home ownership, property ownership is not only the key to flourishing economically in the middle class but it will keep an entire generation from believing they can actually advance and achieve the American dream. These are the concerns we as a nation ought to be addressing, not the concerns of social justice radicals who even care to understand middle America.”

“These are the same Social Justice Radicals who are making it more difficult to get by without a college degree or coastal connections, they want state corporatism concentrated in Silicon Valley and Wall Street. The reason so many young people are enticed by the rhetoric of redistribution and subsidies is because they see no other way to get ahead in life, and that the only option is to consolidate power in those who will give them handouts.”

“If we are going to ward off socialism, and the radical left we need to invest in the heartland, in industries that do not focus wealth on the coasts and among the connected. The soul of our nation, the resurgence of both the economic and the spiritual will come from the heartland. Engaging and empowering small businesses in the communities that need the most help, investing in the roads, ports, pipelines and 5G internet which will enable real growth across the country, not just in the dense blue cities.”

“This Progressive beast, a monster defending the coastal elite, will never be satisfied. Left ascendent it will be a sort of permanent revolution, because wokeness is a competition played by the elites of our society constantly moving the goalpost of social norms and gatekeeping prosperity from those they deem unworthy. Like some twisted norm of the month club where you are not allowed your own judgement and own righteousness. We have an unsustainable moral chaos in our nation.”

“This Leftism views our country in a disastrous fashion… as if all the progress and success we have made is some illusion, forever tainted by our original sins. They deny the very simple possibility we can find common ground despite our differences and seek higher ground together…. They deny that citizens coming from different backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, and means can find any kind of shared national life, and that you can only be defined by your identity based oppression and the only way to fight that oppression is to totally dismantle the country. This fatalism is poison to our country and it must be defeated.”

“The insistence of putting our citizens into categories based on simplistic identities ignores just how complex human life is… American life is. It is an insistence that deludes itself and encourages segregation defended by empty academic jargon. It leads to radical and ultimately destructive policies such as slavery reperations, open borders and demonizing the police.”

“If I have the good fortune of being elected your President I won’t ask whether or not a policy is woke, or fits with the agenda of some coastal corporate elite. When a policy comes to my desk I will ask one question before any other, ‘does this policy materially benefit and improve the conditions of working Americans?’ That will be the central question to my Presidency.”

“This rigid dogma of the woke left, the belief that ANYONE who voted for Wolf or supported Porter is an evil racist, the demand for retribution against anyone with a view even somewhat out of touch with the values of their morally superior selves. They censor and cancel you rather than engage and discuss or convince you of their views. It’s a disgusting competition of snobbery and virtue signaling. They police language and judge everyone while believing they are without sin.”

“People are tired of being at best ignored, and at worst talked down to or canceled by the so-called liberal elite. President Wolf heard the people of the country and won big. We must continue the legacy of President Wolf fighting for real people and real solutions that focus on the heartland and take on the elite. Thank you and God Bless.”

[Meelducan]

Lori Turner
@GovernorLoriT

---

Governor Richardson is all for “advancing liberty and protecting freedoms” until it comes to the rights of women. It really does make you wonder.

Lori Turner
@GovernorLoriT

---

Nate Richardson has his priorities all wrong...

[Emazia]

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

Very brave rhetoric from the Governor in Ohio. I agree with a great deal many of his points and believe his platform is one that will create unity in the Republican Party.

[Lavan Tiri]

Martin Spellman
@thespellman

---

I'd fireback that the plant should instead be at your campaign headquarters but given that that place is already a dumpster fire, landfill, and waste treatment plant all in one, I think there is more than enough going on. Zoning laws and all!

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

If you're such a big man, Mr. Spellman, why don't you go and debate me in person?

Governor Russell E. Long
@RussellLong

Why should he debate a guy who lost a REPUBLICAN PRIMARY to NATE RICHARDSON? Haven't you been humiliated enough, Bernard?

Y'all remember when Bernie Boy was attacking ol' Nate on Twitter? Guess the Governor finally decided to act like a Republican instead of calling himself one.

[Dentali]

Nate Richardson
In Transit, Ohio



Richardson sat in the back of the SUV with several advisors flipping through data from Peake Polling, the independent polling firm they hired for the general election. They had given them good data on states in the Southwest during the primary are were doing the same in the general. They had recently given some unexpected, but not unwelcome, news. In the car was the Campaign Manager, Michael Sutton, the new Ohio Campaign Manager and Porter campaign veteran Jeremy Ryder, and Michelle Goldsmith the polling coordinator.

Richardson: Two points? They have us within two points?

Sutton: Dayton is not good with hispanics or African Americans…. It puts a ton of places in play that weren’t before. Especially with the Murphy PUMA voters which would be overwhelmingly in those states. I understand its not what we expected but we should consider this path.

Ryder: You’re not going to win a ton of those Porter voters, not saying they’ll go dem but they won’t turn out… And that hurts most in PA and Ohio, those Baharia Wolf Voters. The people consider you Mitter 2.0.

Richardson: His hair is much nicer than mine *chuckle

Goldsmith: Data doesn’t lie, i don’t believe you’ll lose as many WWC voters as a lot of people do. But you will make the most gains in the suburbs, states like Nevada and Colorado. The data shows we have a viable path in the Southwest provided we don’t lose Florida… which given Dayton’s issues with hispanic voters I don’t see happening.

Richardson: The ‘04 map? Or a variation on it. (Not Bush) was from the Southwest, i’m from the midatlantic. Sure i haven’t done anything to piss off Hispanic voters but I don’t exactly have a relationship with them either… I learned Spanish that’s about it.

Ryder: Neither does Dayton. Unless she picks Nez or someone from the southwest for VP I would consider it pretty damn vulnerable. You can hold Ohio and Florida, then who knows…. I don’t think they’d see this coming, and you have the groundwork.

Sutton: Your relationships in Texas are good too, take that hispanic outreach model and copy paste it in the other southwestern states? Plus the suburban appeal you have. I think its worth investing in.

Richardson: Tell Peake we want another round of polling with focus groups of Hispanic, Suburban and WWC voters. Then we can see where we are. If we are look at a 2 point difference i think our path is pretty obvious.

[Emazia]

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

If you're such a big man, Mr. Spellman, why don't you go and debate me in person?

Governor Russell E. Long
@RussellLong

Why should he debate a guy who lost a REPUBLICAN PRIMARY to NATE RICHARDSON? Haven't you been humiliated enough, Bernard?

Y'all remember when Bernie Boy was attacking ol' Nate on Twitter? Guess the Governor finally decided to act like a Republican instead of calling himself one.

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

You're one to talk about losing.

[Louisianan]

Hypolite Gaspard
@HGLouisianaFirst

---

Washington has been very quiet lately, I call for MORE TRANSPARENCY! Let the people know whats going on during this economic crisis!

[Louisianan]

Henry Mason
@UtahMason1

---

I want the people of the 4th District that I'm still here. I may not be out, running ragged bashing my opponents on twitter, but do note that I am still here, fighting for Utahans in our State Legislature! Don't let our movement die!

[Lavan Tiri]

Wichita

Thunder rolled over the city, fat raindrops splashing and soaking her as she dove from the car, racing into the Hospital. Her heels clacked furiously across the floor and she almost slipped on water as she marched up to the nurse at the reception desk.

"Please, I, my son, Angus Hartford," she gasped, leaning on the desk. Water ran down her face and neck. "I need to see my son. Please. Kimberly Hartford."

The nurse held up a hand. "Senator Dunbar, calm down. Your son is on the third floor."

"Thank you, thank you," Kim gasped, striding forward through the desk. The elevator doors opened with a ding and she stepped into her son's bedroom. Iron Man and Avengers posters covered the walls. Bookshelves filled with dog-eared paperbacks crowded the walls. And her husband sat, motionless, in a tiny chair, next to the reclining hospital bed.

And her boy--oh, her boy, Angus, the beautiful green-eyed baby, lay there motionless, with millions and billions of tubes and needles protruding from his skin. He moaned in his sleep, and blood gushed forth from his mouth, soaking his Chiefs footie pajamas in crimson.

"Angus..." she whispered, stepping forward. Water pooled on the floor beneath her.

Sam raised his head. Dark, puffy bags hung low and dangerous beneath his eyes. A pool of tears had collected under his feet. He looked old. For the first time she saw how old he was.

"Kim."

"Sam, I'm sorry I couldn't, I, I came as fast as I could," she stammered, stepping closer. When her foot landed the room expanded, her husband and son just as far away as they had started.

"I know."

"W-what happened?"

Sam turnt his tired eyes to Angus' limp form. "Overdose. Heroin."

An invisible baseball bat struck Kim in the chest. She stared wordlessly at her husband, who slowly looked back at her.

"It's hell for him, Kim. Hell."

Before she could respond Sam slammed his hands on the arms of the chair, his old rocking chair he ways sat in while they watched TV together. "It's been Hell for all of us. He's been on the brink so many times, crying to me, crying to teachers, because something in his head isn't right. He's a scared boy and he needs his mama and you are never there. It's always work and the legislature and the election and the Governor and your future well what about OUR future!"

Sam had never yelled at her before. Ever. Kim didn't react because she didn't know how. The pool of water grew under her.

"What about Angus' future?"

"I...is this...I'm trying to make a better future for him," Kim stammered. Sam threw back his head and laughed.

"How very charitable. Saving the world for a complete stranger. You don't even know the kid anymore. You hardly know any of them anymore."

"That's not true!"

"What's Angus' boyfriend's name?"

The water reached her knees now. "His what."

Sam smiled viciously. "Boyfriend. He's gay and he's terrified to tell you because he doesn't know if he's gonna tell his mama or the Lieutenant Governor of Kansas. The woman who called gay people pedos and freaks. The woman who doesn't want him to be able to marry."

Up to her waist now. Dark, many-toothed things swam about her.

"Get out, Kim. You've hardly been in his life for years, now it's time for you to get. Out."

---

The dreams were hard.

Being awake was harder.

Even aside from the hellish physiotherapy and endless rotation of doctors, nurses, and well-wishers.

One sunny day, as she tried to get an annoying beam of light out of her face, she called an aide back at her office.

"Senator? Kim? What's up?"

"Hey Jack...do me a favor."

"That's my whole job."

"Find my ex-husband for me."

[Emazia]

(Image)
Hypolite Gaspard
@HGLouisianaFirst

---

Washington has been very quiet lately, I call for MORE TRANSPARENCY! Let the people know whats going on during this economic crisis!

Theodore Vohoffsky
@CaliforniaLibertarian

In these difficult times, every American needs to make a sacrifice. That includes all the people in the Washington swamp. I propose to halve all compensation to politicians, for as long as the GDP remains below pre-recession levels! #AllInThisTogether

[Democratic Peoples republic of Kelvinsi]

James Burgun
@RoughriderGovernor
I endorse Governor Richardson, Sen. Dayton will bring her radical left ideology of Cultural Marxism and be a very far-left President!

[Concerned American Workers]

Torrie Volker
@TheOtherVolker

---

I laud the efforts by Congressman Vohoffsky to give the American people their money back during this time of crisis. I urge the House to move swiftly to include his amendment.

[Concerned American Workers]

Martin Spellman
@thespellman

---

I'd fireback that the plant should instead be at your campaign headquarters but given that that place is already a dumpster fire, landfill, and waste treatment plant all in one, I think there is more than enough going on. Zoning laws and all!

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

If you're such a big man, Mr. Spellman, why don't you go and debate me in person?

Martin Spellman
@thespellman

---

I'll debate you any day though giving you any kind of platform to spread your hate seems more like a job for radical conservative news media like OAN than for myself.

[Emazia]

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

If you're such a big man, Mr. Spellman, why don't you go and debate me in person?

Martin Spellman
@thespellman

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I'll debate you any day though giving you any kind of platform to spread your hate seems more like a job for radical conservative news media like OAN than for myself.

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

Ok, debate me then. Stop using all this "platforming" nonsense as an excuse for your cowardice.

[Concerned American Workers]

Martin Spellman
@thespellman

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I'll debate you any day though giving you any kind of platform to spread your hate seems more like a job for radical conservative news media like OAN than for myself.

Bernard J. Porter
@BerniePorter

Ok, debate me then. Stop using all this "platforming" nonsense as an excuse for your cowardice.

Martin Spellman
@thespellman

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One debate. All revenue from media or promotion goes to food pantries across the nation and organizations like Feeding America because that's what people need. Real relief. Take it or leave it.