America the Beautiful: An American Political RP (IC)

[Kargintinia]

House office of Majority Whip of the U.S House of Representatives Earl Tenson
January 20, 2021
Representative Maxine Caroline Durant was, admittedly, nervous right now. She knew she wasn't bad enough to warrant knowing the whip on a first name basis. She could have sworn that some sitting senators and representatives had been so bad and misbehaved that they knew the whip on a first name basis. There were also the rumors of favors that flew about on the deep corners of the internet, but she dismissed those out of hand. She tried her best to calm her breathing, reduce her heart-rate, and think of herself going to the principles office, and not the disciplinary whip of one of the most powerful chambers in western democracy. With that, oh so comforting thought tucked away, she lightly knocked on the door to see the Majority Whip.

"Earl? I'm here. I got yer message that y'all wanted to meet with me. What's this about exact-ally? I've got a lil' bit o' an ideer or two floatin' inna my brain, but I'd prefer it straight from the horses mouth' as it were."

Earl didn’t say a word as his aid opened the door for the Congresswoman. He hadn’t anticipated trouble this early on, and he was surprised it was someone other than that damned Tennessee woman giving him a hard time this early into the Congress. Nevertheless he looked up from his computer to see the woman had entered. His computer was open to twitter, with the Representative’s tweet right there for him to see.

“Congresswoman Durant, you know, a lot of hard work has gone into us achieving this House Majority. Speaker Volker, myself, and many others sacrificed countless hours to make sure we retook this chamber. And now that we have it, as slim as our majority may be, I anticipate holding said chamber. Now, this job of mine that the Speaker has given to me, it’s not easy, especially when my Representatives decide to obstruct the Conference’s legislation and insult me publicly over the internet, so I’m going to give you about 60 seconds to explain how this tweet was a mistake, you regret it, will delete it, and that it will not happen again. Go.”

[Newne Carriebean7]

House office of Majority Whip of the U.S House of Representatives Earl Tenson
January 20, 2021
Representative Maxine Caroline Durant squinted at the screen. There was no denying it. Clear as day, right smack dab in-front of her were her words. It would be idiotic, foolhardy and downright treasonous to back-peddle from such a claim, but she did feel the need to explain herself. So after around five seconds of looking at the Whip, then at the tweet she had sent out, then back at the Whip, she cleared her throat loudly and began rather nervously.

"Oh...that. Well...uh...um...er...you see, it's a funny story... I know how much you like to laugh...on the inside... a-Aanyways.. uh.. I'll promise y'all this. I'll quit insulting the Whip in public. I-I'm not really sure how it's a mistake, other than the fact that I'm in trouble with you now over it and I probably shouldn't have done it. What we should be doing is attacking the Democrats, not each other. You've been the Party Whip a long, long ass time, and probably see Congress as a clock. When the GOP works together on an issue, then we'll be able to enact the agenda of Republicans and our like-minded constituents. I'm..I'm sorry fer inna-sultin' yer ass. I regret inna-sultin' the G.O.P. n' I'll make sure I don't do that 'gain no more. Is that 'cceptable t' you?"

Maxine finally finished and sat far...far back in her chair, almost fearful of a physical strike from the Majority Whip.

[Kargintinia]

House office of Majority Whip of the U.S House of Representatives Earl Tenson
January 20, 2021
Representative Maxine Caroline Durant squinted at the screen. There was no denying it. Clear as day, right smack dab in-front of her were her words. It would be idiotic, foolhardy and downright treasonous to back-peddle from such a claim, but she did feel the need to explain herself. So after around five seconds of looking at the Whip, then at the tweet she had sent out, then back at the Whip, she cleared her throat loudly and began rather nervously.

"Oh...that. Well...uh...um...er...you see, it's a funny story... I know how much you like to laugh...on the inside... a-Aanyways.. uh.. I'll promise y'all this. I'll quit insulting the Whip in public. I-I'm not really sure how it's a mistake, other than the fact that I'm in trouble with you now over it and I probably shouldn't have done it. What we should be doing is attacking the Democrats, not each other. You've been the Party Whip a long, long ass time, and probably see Congress as a clock. When the GOP works together on an issue, then we'll be able to enact the agenda of Republicans and our like-minded constituents. I'm..I'm sorry fer inna-sultin' yer ass. I regret inna-sultin' the G.O.P. n' I'll make sure I don't do that 'gain no more. Is that 'cceptable t' you?"

Maxine finally finished and sat far...far back in her chair, almost fearful of a physical strike from the Majority Whip.

Earl was surprised she had backed down so easily, but he was certainly grateful for the fact.

"Alright, since this is early on in the Congress and you seem like a fairly loyal Conservative I'm willing to let this go, so long as the tweet is gone by tonight and you stop trying to obstruct the Clean Congress Act. I understand you see an impact on your income, but you can still get outside money. We're all taking a hit with this one, but I think we'll be alright. We only have a short window to show the American people they made the right choice by electing a Republican House and President, and if we screw up we can kiss the midterms next year goodbye."

[Velahor]

Mayor Daniel Gundersen
@DairyDanG
mayor.waukesha.gov | Waukesha, WI

---

Call your Senators, call your Representatives, and tell them to vote YES on the American Relief Act of 2021!

Let's build our economy back stronger than ever before!

[Newne Carriebean7]

House office of Majority Whip of the U.S House of Representatives Earl Tenson
January 20, 2021
Maxine's face was a little pale from the nervousness, but she tried her damndest to have a portion of the color return before she spoke once again.

"I'm still unha-unsatisfied about the CCA, my one vote won't make much difference in the long run. I mean, obstructing the CCA is one thing, but that'll also mean the folks that have genuine concerns about this bill and want to ensure that a 'reasonable solution' is found to our current 'conomic woes. Y'all know, you've made me think about things a lil' bit more. I'll go back to Cedar Grove, go talk with my people n' see what they have to say. I might even phone my son in Miami to get his input. Of course, I'll weigh the advice my son gives me in far, far less regard than the advice my constituents give me. Oh to hell with it, I'll sleep on it, watch some news on it and see where I really lean on this. That's the one mistake I've made in all this. I've rushed too quick. Been too quick t' judments n' stuff like that. I'll need to take a step back, take a deep breath n' think 'Maxine, is this something you and the voters would like to see passed? Are there positive consequences t' passin' it? Negative? Weigh each n' every 'eriable evenly till y'all come on up wit a decision. Or just flip a goddamned coin."
She laughed at the last part before finishing up her one-sided conversation with:

"I might even chat with that one gal that got pissy at me in Congress... uh... Pauline?"

She took a light breather before flashing a small grin at the Whip.

"Ah, right. Politics as usual. The only way the voters can bite us in the ass is by not re-electing us or voting for our primary opponents. Ah, the joys and terrors of American Democracy. Don't y'all love it? Anyways, I'll delete that tweet, and I'll sleep on my decision for the bill."

[Velahor]

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
@MilwaukeeJS
www.jsonline.com | Milwaukee, WI

---

BREAKING NEWS: Restaurateur and Waukesha GOP mayor Daniel Gundersen, who was recently spotted at the inauguration of President Nate Richardson, has formed an exploratory committee for the upcoming WI Senate special election.

[Kargintinia]

House office of Majority Whip of the U.S House of Representatives Earl Tenson
January 20, 2021
Maxine's face was a little pale from the nervousness, but she tried her damndest to have a portion of the color return before she spoke once again.

"I'm still unha-unsatisfied about the CCA, my one vote won't make much difference in the long run. I mean, obstructing the CCA is one thing, but that'll also mean the folks that have genuine concerns about this bill and want to ensure that a 'reasonable solution' is found to our current 'conomic woes. Y'all know, you've made me think about things a lil' bit more. I'll go back to Cedar Grove, go talk with my people n' see what they have to say. I might even phone my son in Miami to get his input. Of course, I'll weigh the advice my son gives me in far, far less regard than the advice my constituents give me. Oh to hell with it, I'll sleep on it, watch some news on it and see where I really lean on this. That's the one mistake I've made in all this. I've rushed too quick. Been too quick t' judments n' stuff like that. I'll need to take a step back, take a deep breath n' think 'Maxine, is this something you and the voters would like to see passed? Are there positive consequences t' passin' it? Negative? Weigh each n' every 'eriable evenly till y'all come on up wit a decision. Or just flip a goddamned coin."
She laughed at the last part before finishing up her one-sided conversation with:

"I might even chat with that one gal that got pissy at me in Congress... uh... Pauline?"

She took a light breather before flashing a small grin at the Whip.

"Ah, right. Politics as usual. The only way the voters can bite us in the ass is by not re-electing us or voting for our primary opponents. Ah, the joys and terrors of American Democracy. Don't y'all love it? Anyways, I'll delete that tweet, and I'll sleep on my decision for the bill."

"Alright. I believe it would be wise to have a chat with Representative Paulson, she is a very intelligent woman. So long as there is nothing else, you are free to go Representative Durant." Tenson extended his arm for a handshake.

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Carrie Simone
@SpeakerSimone
simone.house.gov | New York, NY

---

Laying the Clean Congress Act aside to consider the American Relief Act is absolutely the right call to make, and I hope that we can refine & finalize the ARA for passage with a well-balanced approach, achieving brevity without sacrificing scrutiny. And when - (1/3)

---

- the Clean Congress Act comes back up, we can examine that bill and how to improve it in line with the spirit of the bill. Reducing congressional pay & waiving pay during sequestration are both wholly appropriate, and so all that needs examination is - (2/3)

---

- the bill's Section 5, which would most severely advantage Congress' wealthiest members & increase barriers to serving in public office to ordinary Americans. I look forward to raising this with Rep. Paulson, who I consider to be a very dear friend across the aisle. (3/3)

[Newne Carriebean7]

House office of Majority Whip of the U.S House of Representatives Earl Tenson
January 20, 2021
For once, Maxine's lips revealed a rather toothy looking grin as she shook her head no and met her handshake with her own.

"I'll have to pay her a visit some time. Y'all know, I thought this would be far, far worse than I thought it turned out. Maybe I should do stuff like this more often if it's this easy!" She replied cheerily before winking at Tenson and gently shutting the door behind her. As soon as she was out, she opened up twitter on her phone and scrolled through her recent posts. She made sure to poke fun at Dairy Dan before finding the tweet she had sent out that caused this whole "kerfuffle" in the first place and swiftly hit a few buttons on the phone. Sliding the device back into her pocket, she cheerfully returned to her House Office to muse through the increasing pile of legislation that was being submitted. All of it she would have to go through.

At least she wasn't in trouble, so that was good news.

[Velahor]

(Image)
Carrie Simone
@SpeakerSimone
simone.house.gov | New York, NY

---

Laying the Clean Congress Act aside to consider the American Relief Act is absolutely the right call to make, and I hope that we can refine & finalize the ARA for passage with a well-balanced approach, achieving brevity without sacrificing scrutiny. And when - (1/3)

---

- the Clean Congress Act comes back up, we can examine that bill and how to improve it in line with the spirit of the bill. Reducing congressional pay & waiving pay during sequestration are both wholly appropriate, and so all that needs examination is - (2/3)

---

- the bill's Section 5, which would most severely advantage Congress' wealthiest members & increase barriers to serving in public office to ordinary Americans. I look forward to raising this with Rep. Paulson, who I consider to be a very dear friend across the aisle. (3/3)

All liked by @DianeForMaine

Direct message from @DianeForMaine

Hey Carrie! Let's talk about Section 5 of the CCA sometime before it comes back up in the House. Since we have time now. Feel free to reach out.

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Direct message from @DianeForMaine

Hey Carrie! Let's talk about Section 5 of the CCA sometime before it comes back up in the House. Since we have time now. Feel free to reach out.

Carrie noticed that Diane had liked her short tweet thread which had - in part - been critical of the Clean Congress Act with some surprise, and wasn't entirely sure how to react at first. Scribbling some notes down on a pad nearby in her office (now back in the Cannon Building), she then read the direct message, and with a raised eyebrow, she gave a nod before putting a call through to the ever loyal Christian, her secretary who'd been with her through her entire Speakership and so long before that.

"Christian, could you invite Diane Paulson over to my office?"

And so messages would be exchanged between offices, and a timeslot carved out.

[Velahor]

Direct message from @DianeForMaine

Hey Carrie! Let's talk about Section 5 of the CCA sometime before it comes back up in the House. Since we have time now. Feel free to reach out.

Carrie noticed that Diane had liked her short tweet thread which had - in part - been critical of the Clean Congress Act with some surprise, and wasn't entirely sure how to react at first. Scribbling some notes down on a pad nearby in her office (now back in the Cannon Building), she then read the direct message, and with a raised eyebrow, she gave a nod before putting a call through to the ever loyal Christian, her secretary who'd been with her through her entire Speakership and so long before that.

"Christian, could you invite Diane Paulson over to my office?"

And so messages would be exchanged between offices, and a timeslot carved out.

Diane arrived at Carrie Simone's office, a place she had gone plenty of times before when she was looking for an opinion from across the aisle. They couldn't be more different in many ways, but the two women had cultivated a history of respect for each other over the years.

Having the meeting already set and knowing the staff made things easy; with a nod, Paulson stepped by the secretary and waited outside of Simone's door.

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Diane arrived at Carrie Simone's office, a place she had gone plenty of times before when she was looking for an opinion from across the aisle. They couldn't be more different in many ways, but the two women had cultivated a history of respect for each other over the years.

Having the meeting already set and knowing the staff made things easy; with a nod, Paulson stepped by the secretary and waited outside of Simone's door.

There wassn't the same degree of distance and pageantry as so often had come with Carrie's office in the past. It wasn't some authoritative fortress anymore, and there was no ordeal of making Diane wait in the lobby with Christian. Instead, Carrie opened the door herself when Diane was there, smiling warmly and going to offer her a friendly embrace.

"Diane, it's been too long."

[Velahor]

Diane arrived at Carrie Simone's office, a place she had gone plenty of times before when she was looking for an opinion from across the aisle. They couldn't be more different in many ways, but the two women had cultivated a history of respect for each other over the years.

Having the meeting already set and knowing the staff made things easy; with a nod, Paulson stepped by the secretary and waited outside of Simone's door.

There wassn't the same degree of distance and pageantry as so often had come with Carrie's office in the past. It wasn't some authoritative fortress anymore, and there was no ordeal of making Diane wait in the lobby with Christian. Instead, Carrie opened the door herself when Diane was there, smiling warmly and going to offer her a friendly embrace.

"Diane, it's been too long."

Diane reciprocated the embrace and said, "it really has been Carrie...I hope you're well."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Diane reciprocated the embrace and said, "it really has been Carrie...I hope you're well."

"As well as I can be with a not insignificant number of Democrats blaming me for losing the House. And they're not entirely wrong. But I can't relitigate the past, only look to the future," She shook her head with a sigh, going to go sit down not at her desk, but on a couch at the edge of the room, gesturing to a drinks set, "Something to drink? I must say, you and Tom Volker seem to be getting along much better these days."

[Velahor]

Diane reciprocated the embrace and said, "it really has been Carrie...I hope you're well."

"As well as I can be with a not insignificant number of Democrats blaming me for losing the House. And they're not entirely wrong. But I can't relitigate the past, only look to the future," She shook her head with a sigh, going to go sit down not at her desk, but on a couch at the edge of the room, gesturing to a drinks set, "Something to drink? I must say, you and Tom Volker seem to be getting along much better these days."

"Sometimes old rivals make good allies, after all, they're the ones who know you best," said Diane, helping herself to the gin, ice, and a splash of tonic water.

As she held the drink she walked toward the seating area and continued speaking. "But yeah, ol' Tom and I have a bit of an understanding." She took a sip.

"Oh! By the way, don't beat yourself up too much about the House. There are way too many factors out of your control for anyone to blame you."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"Sometimes old rivals make good allies, after all, they're the ones who know you best," said Diane, helping herself to the gin, ice, and a splash of tonic water.

As she held the drink she walked toward the seating area and continued speaking. "But yeah, ol' Tom and I have a bit of an understanding." She took a sip.

"Oh! By the way, don't beat yourself up too much about the House. There are way too many factors out of your control for anyone to blame you."

"The party nominated a charisma-less, arrogant fossil which dragged down every Democrat nationwide. What should've been a triumph rapidly descended into damage control," She shook her head with an embittered sigh, before glancing back at Diane, "An understanding?"

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Representative Caroline Simone
Washington, District of Columbia
Saturday 23rd January, 2021

Mamma mia, here we go again.

3200 New Mexico Avenue felt a little different. Maybe it was the fact it wasn't cordoned by the Capitol Police in the same way that it had been since she was Speaker. Maybe it was the fact that with her importance somewhat diminished, her social circle had shrunk and so the spacious residence was often empty. It was a constant reminder that even with her relationship with her son much improved, she was - well - still a divorced woman with no young children to give her company and comfort. That sensation could gnaw at times, and as much as she'd swallowed it down during her Speakership, with more free time came more time alone with her thoughts.

Tonight, at least, was not such a lonely occasion. Wisconsin was on the horizon and as much as Carrie was no longer Speaker of the House, or even in Democratic leadership, she still maintained a sizeable leadership PAC and had good connections with donors. And so, if the Democrats were going to have an ample warchest for approaching the Senate special election, especially with a Richardson loyalist announcing his exploratory committee for the race, she needed to get working sooner rather than later. Resorting for a silver dress that she'd worn for fundraisers before but had generally flattered her, she looked back over the guest list on a tablet computer before it was time to get going. It wasn't a long journey from where she lived, down past the Naval Observatory, and then along the Potomac to the Watergate Complex, where she had booked out the Top of the Gate rooftop bar to hobnob with some of the Democratic Party's wealthiest and most generous donors, in the hope of both plumping up her own warchest for Wisconsin and the 2021 off-years, as well as that of the DNC and other leading Democratic PACs.

As she headed down the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, she pondered to herself about the fact that despite all the loss of morale she had suffered in the wake of November's defeat, she was still pushing onwards. Still taking action. Still fighting. Why? Was it an attempt to mollify that sense of guilt that lingered around her? Was it an unwillingness to give up on the cause? Or was it something else? An ambition that maybe, perhaps, her role in this greater picture was not yet over. She had humored the idea a long time ago - sometime before she'd gone for House leadership at all. A weak field, disunited and in conflict. A party at each other's throats. She'd decided, eventually, at the time that the best way she could serve America's need for reliable Democratic governance was to do so as a vital part of the congressional system. And it had worked, for a while, keeping many in the party in line. But it had not been enough. If she perhaps had gone the other way, taken the other path...

Of course, back then, she didn't have anywhere near the national profile she had now. To presume that it would have ended in anything but defeat would have been arrogant. But now things were different. Yes, Speakers were always unpopular, ever since congressional approval tanked in the Noughties, but she was still a household name now. It wouldn't take months for her to build a national presence, not least because of her existing PAC infrastructure, and the many connections she had built. A great many in her party still respected her. There was a window.

Entirely theoretical. Probably fantastical. And it would be a good two years before it was actionable. Wisconsin, the off-years, the mid-terms. These things all needed to come first. But by God, she would be involved. She'd fight like a cornered tiger to deny Richardson his trifecta, and force him to come to the table on the big issues. It was the least that a so-called government of the people, by the people, for the people could do - reflect the stifled Democratic majority. As she approached the Watergate Hotel, she checked her face in a compact mirror - just a little more rouge in the cheeks. There, that's right.

It was a dirty business, soliciting donations. There had always been a lick of prostitution about it and that only seemed to exude more filthily from it when you had a woman of slightly diminished influence, authority and power subjected to the whims of the rich and powerful untouchables who made up the donor class of people. That's not to say they were all awful, she had existing working relationships with men like (not-Michael Bloomberg) and (not-Tom Steyer) who had given greatly to the Democratic cause despite the limitations of their own attempts to rise in the party, but it still felt gross. Money in politics was a necessary evil that she truly hated, not that her smiling exterior would allow that to show. That's not to say she was viciously anti-lobbyist - she did understand the legitimate purpose of lobbying, even if it had gone demonstrably too far in parts of the United States. Nonetheless, she would have to make promises that night. Promises to overlook tax loopholes, promises to direct pork and investment hither and thither... To use what influence she had to shuffle priorities around. Her ability to do that was limited, of course, she didn't have the same clout as she did when Speaker, and she didn't want to undermine the new Minority Leader... but she knew Emily. She knew she understood how the game was played. And if they wanted to stop Richardson packing the court with more women-hating bigots, or filling executive departments with underqualified nuts to satisfy the right of his party, then all would have to yield to Wisconsin.

[Velahor]

"Sometimes old rivals make good allies, after all, they're the ones who know you best," said Diane, helping herself to the gin, ice, and a splash of tonic water.

As she held the drink she walked toward the seating area and continued speaking. "But yeah, ol' Tom and I have a bit of an understanding." She took a sip.

"Oh! By the way, don't beat yourself up too much about the House. There are way too many factors out of your control for anyone to blame you."

"The party nominated a charisma-less, arrogant fossil which dragged down every Democrat nationwide. What should've been a triumph rapidly descended into damage control," She shook her head with an embittered sigh, before glancing back at Diane, "An understanding?"

Diane nodded along about Diehl, who she agreed was a terrible nominee choice.

"An implicit understanding at that. I worked with him and not-Buchanan on Reagan's Comms staff. We all fought incessantly about the direction of his messaging behind closed doors. But that was it; no matter how heated discussions would get in the office, it would stay between us."

She took a sip of the drink, reminiscing.

"The problem was that the differences between myself and the mainstream GOP that made those closed door discussions more heated, uh, all those differences became a lot more highlighted, I guess, when Wolf was elected. Tom and I really didn't know how to handle it at first...but I think now that Wolf is out of office we can return to that old status-quo."

She took another sip, and smiled.

"And of course, I can retire any time I want. My seat is safer for me than it would be for any other Republican, so I'd imagine that these guys all know in the back of their mind not to make me want to retire."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

Diane nodded along about Diehl, who she agreed was a terrible nominee choice.

"An implicit understanding at that. I worked with him and not-Buchanan on Reagan's Comms staff. We all fought incessantly about the direction of his messaging behind closed doors. But that was it; no matter how heated discussions would get in the office, it would stay between us."

She took a sip of the drink, reminiscing.

"The problem was that the differences between myself and the mainstream GOP that made those closed door discussions more heated, uh, all those differences became a lot more highlighted, I guess, when Wolf was elected. Tom and I really didn't know how to handle it at first...but I think now that Wolf is out of office we can return to that old status-quo."

She took another sip, and smiled.

"And of course, I can retire any time I want. My seat is safer for me than it would be for any other Republican, so I'd imagine that these guys all know in the back of their mind not to make me want to retire."

"Very true, though I hope my earnest efforts to unseat you haven't caused you any offense. It was, after all, my job," she smiled softly as she poured herself some gin, neat, with a twist of lemon before taking a drink, "Still, it's an interesting choice, the first expressed policy of the new Republican majority being to infuriate almost his entire caucus."

[Sarenium]

---

January 20, 2021
Iosif Robert Abernathy
The White House

---

It was an unfamiliar source of familiarity, Bob had spent hours in this building. He was about to spend much more than a few fleeting hours across a year. As midday rolled around, he entered the West Wing. Daniel Burton had met him at the door, and led him to what would be Bob's new office. He took the room in and nodded slightly to himself, "you ever think about moving the desk there?" he pointed to a different part of the room.

"I'm told you get to move it daily if you really want to," Burton mused.

Bob snorted a chuckle, shook Burton's hand and wished him well. He placed his briefcase down by the desk, outside the door sat Jacqueline. She entered, picked up her boss' briefcase and moved it to the other side of the desk as she began reading, "NSC in five, senior staff after that and then Hill Republicans want to talk."

"Did you just move my shit without asking me?" Bob frowned.

Jacqueline looked at the briefcase, then up at Bob, then paused, "yes, yes I believe I did."

Abernathy hid his smirk as best he could but took his seat, surveying the room. He already had some ideas, starting with a painting he wanted moved into the room. Then he took in the conference table, too small for his liking, he wanted a larger one. That would come at the cost of standing space, but that didn't bother him. If you weren't already sitting at the table, what on earth could you possibly have to contribute? Then he paused, that rule of his only applied outside the situation room, in that room if you sat at the table there was a significant likelihood you were just a wanker, and those in the periphery actually knew what was happening.

He turned on the television to see Nate's speech, "...Regan..." Bob sighed, turning it off. This would be one hell of an Administration to run. He was up for it.

[Velahor]

Diane nodded along about Diehl, who she agreed was a terrible nominee choice.

"An implicit understanding at that. I worked with him and not-Buchanan on Reagan's Comms staff. We all fought incessantly about the direction of his messaging behind closed doors. But that was it; no matter how heated discussions would get in the office, it would stay between us."

She took a sip of the drink, reminiscing.

"The problem was that the differences between myself and the mainstream GOP that made those closed door discussions more heated, uh, all those differences became a lot more highlighted, I guess, when Wolf was elected. Tom and I really didn't know how to handle it at first...but I think now that Wolf is out of office we can return to that old status-quo."

She took another sip, and smiled.

"And of course, I can retire any time I want. My seat is safer for me than it would be for any other Republican, so I'd imagine that these guys all know in the back of their mind not to make me want to retire."

"Very true, though I hope my earnest efforts to unseat you haven't caused you any offense. It was, after all, my job," she smiled softly as she poured herself some gin, neat, with a twist of lemon before taking a drink, "Still, it's an interesting choice, the first expressed policy of the new Republican majority being to infuriate almost his entire caucus."

"No offense at all, but I thought this whole time you were taking it easy on me," she joked in a deadpan.

Paulson smiled, which started to turn into a laugh before she spoke.

"I'm kidding, your people have put up a good fight at least a couple times."

Paulson's laugh mellowed into a sigh, and then she sipped her drink.

"Oh, what were we talking about again? Oh yeah, Volker and the CCA. Huh. Why do you think he chose me to introduce it? That's not exactly going to inspire goodwill among the Wolfists."

[Gordano and Lysandus]

"No offense at all, but I thought this whole time you were taking it easy on me," she joked in a deadpan.

Paulson smiled, which started to turn into a laugh before she spoke.

"I'm kidding, your people have put up a good fight at least a couple times."

Paulson's laugh mellowed into a sigh, and then she sipped her drink.

"Oh, what were we talking about again? Oh yeah, Volker and the CCA. Huh. Why do you think he chose me to introduce it? That's not exactly going to inspire goodwill among the Wolfists."

"Isolate you from the rest of the caucus? Make you an easy punching bag? Weaken your position amongst your colleagues so that you can't lead any noteable revolts against him on civil liberties? I can think of a few things. I thought you believed in this bill, but you're saying Volker foisted it on you?"

[Helliniki Katastasis]

Governor Mick Doherty
@NYStrong
mynewyork.gov | Albany, NY

---

It was my greatest honor and pleasure to attend the inauguration of Preisdent Richardson. It is my sincere hope that the next four years will bring about an era of prosperity and success for our nation. An era that moves past the divisiveness and - (1/4)

---

- hateful rhetoric of the past four. I would like to thank Former Preisdent Tawney for his service to our country. This new era means that every American will be represented fairly and justly - (2/4)

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- under the law, that the rights of women and minorities are protected, that meaningful reform to the criminal justice system are enacted, that our roads and bridges are fixed, and that this country moves forward on - (3/4)

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- the right path. Millions of Americans are counting on the new administration. Don't let them down. (4/4)

[Velahor]

"No offense at all, but I thought this whole time you were taking it easy on me," she joked in a deadpan.

Paulson smiled, which started to turn into a laugh before she spoke.

"I'm kidding, your people have put up a good fight at least a couple times."

Paulson's laugh mellowed into a sigh, and then she sipped her drink.

"Oh, what were we talking about again? Oh yeah, Volker and the CCA. Huh. Why do you think he chose me to introduce it? That's not exactly going to inspire goodwill among the Wolfists."

"Isolate you from the rest of the caucus? Make you an easy punching bag? Weaken your position amongst your colleagues so that you can't lead any noteable revolts against him on civil liberties? I can think of a few things. I thought you believed in this bill, but you're saying Volker foisted it on you?"

"Well, yeah, the bill came from him. Except I didn't think we could pull enough Democratic support without Section 5 tacked onto it. Looking at the composition, who the deciding votes would be, it didn't make sense. So I wrote that part and then we put up the bill. That's part of why I was surprised to see your tweets against Section 5."

Paulson sipped, and paused, thinking.

"At the same time, I really doubt that he was doing it for nefarious reasons...I mean, he had Earl bring out the hard whip on it, so you gotta...you know...I'm honestly not too sure. He's got Junior taking lead on it in the Senate...I just don't see him pulling that on him too. Not with all the support Tom gets from the Wolf people these days."