The Blackfire Protocol by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 42

It wasn’t long until Frank’s opponent made the announcement of his candidacy. Thomas Ward was from New York State. He had been a Democrat for

139

his entire political life but lacked a significant professional resume, and unlike Frank, he had earned only a Master’s Degree from a small state university. Having held a city council position for a number of years, his critics questioned the sanity of his candidacy. With no real political background how does one expect to lead the country? Frank, on the other hand, also lacked a political background but possessed a degree of knowledge in constitutional law that few had learned. Between the two, the media developed an immediate attraction to him and Betsy as well as his public affairs manager promised a barrage of questions about many issues and advised him to begin researching as soon as possible. They also suggested he learn to manipulate the media’s questions towards constitutional issues, as this was his field of expertise. They wouldn’t simply want his opinion but solutions to the country's problems—education, homelessness, the war on heroin, and others. They would be relentless and intrusive, with some members of the press keeping a constant vigil on his life, looking for any chink in the armor of his personal life. They would ask to see his taxes and birth certificate and would jump at the opportunity to discredit him. Betsy also pointed out that the media was rarely motivated by politics. Being a journalist, she ensured him that the media is driven by money and sensationalism. The more outrageous a story is, the more advertising money the outlet receives, especially if the story is true. Stories based on falsehoods could work too, but usually ended up in court, and retractions did little to sway the public.

140

Each week, several meetings were held in Frank’s office as his team planned out their strategy for his success. He had already appeared on television, making his announcement of candidacy to the public. Naturally, an image consultant was brought in, as well as a makeup artist. he needed to look and act youthful but wise, and after pollsters went to work, his first approval rating was surprisingly high. Shortly after, his opponent aired his own announcement. This prompted a meeting where his staff sat reviewing the footage of both candidates as they critiqued the pluses and minuses of both. “Jesus Christ,” Nancy said. “Who is this guy again?” Everyone exhibited a bit of hopelessness in Frank’s opponent as the comments began to circulate. “I know,” Betsy agreed. “God, he’s fat. You were brought up on a farm, right? Have you ever seen anything like this?”

Frank chuckled as he carefully watched his opponent’s video footage.

“We grew wheat,” he replied. “We didn’t raise animals.”

The comments continued about his rival’s appearance as Robert executed the final stroke. “Well,” he began. “He certainly isn’t the prized pig of the county fair.”

The room immediately filled with laughter but was short-lived as Frank began to point out several weaknesses in his opponent’s performance. They all agreed that his lack of ambition would likely not engender the public’s confidence, much less their vote, and while Frank would require a few touch-ups, his rival would obviously need a complete makeover. At the end of their analysis, the word

141

everyone agreed on was ‘tragic’. Some people want to be in politics just to be in politics, and that is where the democratic candidate seemed to be coming from. He lacked interest in actually becoming the leader of the ‘free world’ and had an ego the size of a small country. This candidate was destined for failure, but it was also certain there would be more crawling out of the woodwork, and he would have to compete with them on a very public stage. Frank would be ready.