by Mark Spivak
“Justice separated out the legitimate asylum seekers—the total was right around 12,000, as Atalas had said. We’ve put their feet to the fire, so they’re moving forward with the hearings. Subtracting them from the total, along with the 8,000 felons who are already gone, that left around 90,000. About one-third have been deported. We should be done by the spring.”
“I hope so.”
“Do you want to appropriate money to clean up the camps afterward?”
“Surely you jest. That’s not government land, last time I looked. Let the Hafts clean them up. It’s their mess.”
“That’s about it.” Buckmeister glanced at her legal pad. “We keep getting requests from the Preservation Committee about when you’ll want to redecorate the Oval Office and the residence.”
“We’ve been through this. The office looks fine to me, and the residence is considerably better than a Holiday Inn Express. So the answer is probably never.”
“What do you want to do about the money set aside for the project?”
“How much money are we talking about?”
“One hundred thousand from the general fund. Plus you have offers from donors that bring the total to about a half million.”
“I say we use the money to buy breakfast for inner city school kids with single mothers who can’t afford to feed them. That makes more sense to me than a new set of drapes.”
“Spoken like Khaleem Atalas.”
“Maybe. But he never gave them so much as a pancake, as far as I know. He did spring for new drapes, if I recall—one of his many protests against the tyranny of the state.”
“Speaking of donors, I’ve been approached by three different groups. They want to set up exploratory committees and PACS for your election.”
“God almighty.” He shook his head. “I’ve been here slightly over a month, and I haven’t even located all the bathrooms yet.”
“They’re well intentioned. At some point, you’ll have to think about the future. And I’m sure your wife will want to redecorate sooner or later.”
“Think so?” The President glanced up the picture of the pig , which occupied a place of honor near the entrance. “Tell them I have all the décor I need.”
On the top floor of Haft Industries’ executive offices, the atmosphere was celebratory but controlled. A light snow was falling, much as it had been fourteen months before when the plan to fund the Angels of Democracy had been conceived. Sheldon Haft sat behind his desk, underneath the Thomas Hart Benton mural, surrounded by his brother and Kevin Lapham. The TV on the opposite wall was silently tuned to CNN, which was covering President Wallko’s press conference.
“Brilliant,” said Sheldon, his eyes trained on Wallko. “I have to admit I was skeptical at first, Dickie, but you saw the whole thing from the beginning.”
“Kudos, sir,” said Lapham.
“I assume you’ve got the tally, Kevin?” asked Sheldon. “Going forward, we’ll want to look out for the people who were helpful.”
“It’s all in the little black book, sir.”
“Excellent. As I mentioned, we’ll stagger your bonus in stages, to reduce your potential tax liability.” He smiled. “Not that you’re going to pay taxes on it, since it’s all going offshore.”
“You’ve been more than generous, sir. I appreciate it.”
“The real question,” said Richard, “is how we’re going to keep Wallko on the reservation. Don’t lose sight of the fact that he’s a Democrat.”
“I wouldn’t fret over it,” said Sheldon. “You can’t get to him, but the odds are we probably won’t need to. He’s a Libertarian at heart.” He gestured toward the TV. “Let’s turn it up, Kevin.”
As the volume increased, a reporter from The New York Times rose to ask the President a question.
“Sir, we’re six weeks in, and roughly thirty percent of the detainees have been sent back. What would you say to the critics who feel you’re not moving fast enough on the deportations?”
“I’d tell them to go on down to the border and lend a hand.” Wallko grinned. “We can always use volunteers, and there’s no law against pundits doing an honest day’s work. We’ve got government planes that can get them from D.C. to Brownsville in three hours or so.”
“That’s our guy,” said Sheldon. “Nothing to worry about.”
“Even so,” said Lapham, “I’m compiling a list of second-string appointees who may cause problems and will need to be replaced—undersecretaries, career diplomats, what have you.”
“Well, that’s prudent,” said Sheldon, “and that’s certainly what we pay you for. But I want to proceed slowly on that front. Keep me posted, but make sure you check in before you take any action.”
“Will do, sir.”
Sheldon turned to his brother. “So, Dickie. What’s next?”
About the Author
Award-winning author Mark Spivak is endlessly fascinated by the American political system. Although he avidly follows Washington politics, he balances this passion by specializing in wine, spirits, food, restaurants and culinary travel. He was the wine writer for the Palm Beach Post and is the Wine and Spirits Editor for the Palm Beach Media Group. He hosted the popular wine show, Uncorked! on the Palm Beach affiliate of National Public Radio, and is the proud recipient of a Court of Master Sommeliers Certificate and Advanced examinations. He is also the author of two previous novels: Friend of the Devil and The American Crusade, as well as Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History and Moonshine Nation: The Art of Creating Cornbread in a Bottle. His work has appeared in National Geographic Traveler, Robb Report, Men’s Journal, Art & Antiques, and other distinguished journals. If you, too, follow politics, he recommends that you indulge in a glass of fine wine now and again.
Discuss this Book
Many of us make our voting decisions based on whether or not a candidate’s views on key issues agree with our own. Issues are important, but issues also come and go. Thinking about Chet Wallko, would it be better to find someone who we can admire for their underlying values and assume the issues will fall into place? Is it possible to find such a politician in the current climate?
In the book, the Supreme Court decision on Democracy Unchained is obviously based on Citizens United. Should money be regarded as the equivalent of political speech? Is it fair that people with more resources be given a greater voice than others? How does this affect the doctrine of “One person, One vote?”
The events of 2020 sparked a national debate on the role of the police, Army, and National Guard in keeping order. The scenario of a group like the Angels of Democracy now seems more plausible than ever. How do you feel about the legality of a “peacekeeping” force created by someone with an agenda?
How else might this saga have ended? What outcome were you expecting? Are there other courses of action that President Atalas might have taken? And what does the outcome say about Atalas as a politician and as a human being?