He began by sharing a few clips from that day’s Josh Anders Show. He described Anders whining on and on about the horrible group that continued to spew hate onto the public and mainstream media. Disgusted by the patriotic passage, William played the first clip. He dripped of sarcasm and contempt as he mocked the conservative broadcast.
“Boo hoo, yes it is so sad, please bring me a box of Kleenex! My tears are flowing. First of all, Americans have been weaned on the medium of television for half a century. So what does old Anders expect, that sweet old grandma is going to change her routine after fifty years? To grandma, the voice coming out of the idiot box at six-thirty might as well be Walter Cronkite. She wouldn’t know the difference. You can just see the scientists in the Pavlovian Institute in Moscow high-fiving each other as they listen to American television and talk radio.”
Fredericks glanced up and asked for the next sound bite, which was an Anders’ quote about needing a candidate who would excite the electorate and put country ahead of political party.
Fredericks, a big grin across his face, self-servingly interpreted the words for his audience.
“Even Anders is starting to see the light of social justice. It’s about time. Jolly Josh is calling for a candidate who is inclusive, one that believes in fairness and social justice. Finally, we can move away from those stale old dark ideas and into the light of progressivism. Even Josh Anders agrees! Somebody, get on the phone and give Hell a call to see if the ice skating rink is open.”
He then asked his producer for the audio reading of the Declaration of Independence.
“I want you to hear for yourselves how pathetically reactionary and incendiary the party of Dumbo really is.”
Anders reciting of the Declaration on the Tim Jenson show was the next excerpt. Fredericks ignored the fact that the audio originated from the Jenson show and forged on with his commentary.
“Who does this guy, Timmy Jetson, think he is, Thomas Jefferson? ‘Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes?’ He sounds like a dumb waiter if you ask me. They are quoting from a document over a hundred years old and finishing each other’s sentences. How adorable. Two grown men slobbering to each other over an outdated piece of trivia like a duet in a bad country song. It seems so utterly precious until you listen closer and understand what they’re really saying.”
He accused the conservative movement of being dangerous subversives; racists openly calling for ‘the citizens of the USA to take matters into their own hands.’
He shouted, “Mass anarchy! What they are really doing is calling for a violent overthrow of our president. Those founding fathers that these sheep quote over and over in their sleep used to refer to this type of aggressive action as treason, punishable by, a drum roll please… death!”
The host worked himself into a lather as he walked behind his desk and sat down once again.
“And I can tell you right now my dear audience these men who are quoting a document written by nothing more than racist slave owners hate our president because of the color of his skin. This is a fact. Anders and his ilk are bigoted dinosaurs and have no place in our modern society.”
Flinging the notes off his desk, he alerted the viewers that he would be back in a moment.
His young engineer was immediately in his ear.
“Great segment boss. You really stuck it to them.”
Fredericks winced and doubled over in pain. Even with his ongoing stomach issues, the blustery television personality managed a smile and a maniacal laugh.
“I did, didn’t I? We have so much more to do with those tea-bagger types. We never have to do research to prepare for the show. We can just play daily audio clips and comments and we would have enough ammunition for three years worth of shows. As a matter of fact, I would love to get Anders or that other fellow, Tiny Tim, on the show. It would be great for ratings but I won’t even bother asking. We know they would not accept. But you know what, ask anyway. Call their producer or agent or anybody that could give us a no answer. We can then use that with our allies in the press corps. Now be gone and do something I am actually paying you to do, whatever that is.”
Fredericks still had over a minute until the show came back on. He sat silently in his chair as his earphone rang with praise from the WNN general manager. He had hit Anders right in the mouth this time. Who cared if he misrepresented what Anders and his colleague had said earlier? Fredericks was cunning enough to know that if repeated enough, the American people would start to believe that Anders and the Tea Party movement were actually heading left.
Fredericks did not doubt this for a second, convincing himself on a nightly basis that his rhetoric was reality and these citizens were pure putty in his hands. He felt they were so beneath him that he could mold them any way he wished. The recent ratings attested to that fact.
Just keep pouring it on, he thought. The current Administration would love the results and, in return, would most likely promise more access to the president and his advisors. On top of that, WNN would be their first stop for headline-grabbing leaks.
Clearly, Anders had not called for a progressive candidate. Quite the opposite as the message he exuded was for a more conservative candidate to emerge. At this point, with all the turmoil brewing within the Republican ranks, William couldn’t shake the notion that, while this group of GOP pretenders did not pose any kind of threat to the president, the real candidate had yet to show his face. Maybe he was lurking in the shadows, waiting to unveil himself at some time and place that remained to be seen. Sure it was late in the primary cycle process, but from where could a credible candidate like that emerge?
“He better show up soon, for the sake of the future of the Republican Party,” Fredericks snickered to himself as he prepared his next television segment. “And maybe for the sake of the country.”
Chapter 6
The clock on the bell tower of Independence Hall read 3:55pm. The sun, which had been burning bright overhead all afternoon, had ducked behind the high-rise buildings along Chestnut Street. Most of the tourists still mulling around the Hall put their sunglasses away as they checked their watches, blackberries and iPhones. The line of people for the four o’clock tour had swelled beyond the end of the rope and a number of tourists without tickets were being turned away.
The crowd had definitely thinned over the past two hours and now only a handful remained in front of Tim Jenson’s radio post. Jenson was grateful for that. It had been a very successful day, but the heat was getting to him and he wanted to do the Hall tour, check into the hotel, and take a shower so he could look and feel his best when meeting the Anders team for dinner.
But one of those few remaining tourists piqued Jenson’s interest. The older gentleman before him could not have been more than five foot ten, but he possessed a striking presence that made Jenson notice. His scholarly look was accentuated by the bifocal eyeglasses perched on the edge of his nose. He peered over them, almost studying Jenson. Keaton tried to get Jenson’s attention. Jack Murray had taken a seat next to him and slipped on his earphones.
At once, the keen observer turned his head toward his younger companion. The glare off the bespectacled man’s bald head shone in Jenson’s eyes, immediately taking him back to the show.
As Jenson prepped Murray to go on the air, Brian Faulk and his assistant turned away from radio row and started toward Independence Hall. They had been standing on the brick walkway listening to the TJ Show for the last fifteen minutes and had come away impressed.
“That guy should be on television,” said Faulk, glancing back one more time toward Jenson before focusing on the path in front of him. “He has a natural likeableness that would translate well on TV, especially when he talks about the U.S. political hierarchy. I like him.”
The two men were greeted by a woman in a white golf shirt as they entered Independence Hall. “Hi, my name is Carolyn. I manage public relations here at Independence Hall. You must be Mr. Brian
Faulk.”
Brian, grinning, gave her a friendly wink, extended his hand to hers and introduced himself and his assistant Michael Lynne, who would accompany Faulk on the interview. The smiling thirty-five year old PR manager shook his hand, opened the door marked ‘Employees Only’ and asked both men to follow her. As they entered, all eyes in the room were on the two men for a brief second, and then back down to their desks. Carolyn told the two men that their small team was thrilled by Josh Anders’ visit.
Faulk scanned the room and faced his host, “Yes, I know. Where will we be setting up for our interview?”
Carolyn, still smiling but a bit deflated from Faulk’s lack of enthusiasm, motioned to follow her as she led them down a short hall into a room with a table and chairs set up. A couple pads of yellow lined paper and pens were set on top.
Carolyn informed the observant Faulk that there were five chairs because Mr. Anders would be accompanied by his cousin. She intended to sit in for the beginning of the interview and then act as guide for the Anders’ private tour to follow. Pausing for a second, she continued, “It’s ten after four. We’re expecting Mr. Anders in about ten minutes. Please make yourself comfortable. Is there anything I can get you, maybe some coffee or bottled water?”
Mike moved to the table, oblivious to the offer, and put down his iPad. Faulk, standing with his left hand in his pocket, leaned into Carolyn and suggested that a cup of coffee would hit the spot. His polite “thank you” brought a wide smile back to her face. She quickly exited the room to fetch her guest a coffee.
Faulk watched her leave. “Let’s get ready Mike. Josh will be here before we know it.”
“Welcome back to the TJ Show. It’s been one hell of a day here in beautiful, hot Philadelphia. The people of this great city have been nothing short of amazing, so accommodating and hospitable. No wonder the founders did their best work here. We could not have asked for anything more. Now in the remaining few minutes we have, it is my great pleasure to introduce the winner of the WJMD What would the Founders do? contest. This gentleman wrote an amazing piece on the timelessness of the U.S. Constitution and how it remains vibrant in modern American society.”
Jenson raised the winning essay to his eyes to make sure he didn’t miss a word.
“I’m quoting here, ‘the rich remarks within this document are like swords and shields in their constant battle with the activist judges that try to rewrite this sacred text on an almost daily basis. The Founders foresaw the potential for an activist judiciary legislating from the bench and built in safeguards such as checks and balances, separation of powers and an unambiguous method for amending the Constitution.’”
The host finished the quotes as his guest took the seat beside him.
“Folks, let me introduce you to a man who grilled me on the ride up like my fifth grade history teacher and who I now consider a friend, Mr. Jack Murray.”
“Thank you, Tim. It is great to sit with you for a few minutes in such a historic setting.”
Tim informed his audience of Jack’s educated views on the greatest presidents and the office of the president itself.
“In our last two minutes, I want you to explain to the listening audience your theories on these great presidents and where certain presidents should take their place among the greats.”
Murray, excited for being asked to opine further, jumped right in. “Uh, well um, presidential greatness discussions have to begin and end with George Washington. If the founders were the gods on Mount Olympus, certainly Mr. Washington would be Zeus. He was the one founder that was irreplaceable. It wasn’t so much that he was a great technical president, and he was, but he had the gravitas to keep our fledgling republic together as war, philosophical differences, power grabs, the unresolved question of slavery, and old-fashion politics swirled in chaos around the new nation. The people had an instinctual faith in and respect for General Washington and his ability to put the country first.
“And when you think about it Tim, aside from slavery, the issues I mentioned are very much the same as today. The big difference, and it is a difference of incalculable import, is the trust factor. The people overwhelmingly trusted President Washington to do the right thing in a directly inverse proportion to the trust they have in the current president which, frankly speaking, is almost non-existent.”
Jenson was impressed.
“Spoken like a true professor. But you must get into more than a few debates with your liberal colleagues. By the way folks, Professor Murray teaches history at James Madison.”
“Thanks Tim, I actually teach history at Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater, Virginia. I’ve been fortunate enough, recently, to do some night classes at JMU. It’s been great.”
Murray emphasized that while Mr. Washington may have been Zeus, the group that founded this country was for the most part everyday people who somehow came together and achieved greatness. The founders knew what they were doing was exceptional and knew they would live in history for it.
“Of all the founders I am partial to, and it’s funny because I teach there, is James Madison. Jefferson is well known as the writer of the Declaration of Independence, but Madison is kind of forgotten and even kind of underrated as the Father of the Constitution. He also wrote The Federalist Papers with John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and some others. They were instrumental in the ratification of the Constitution. Sorry, I’ve talked so much.”
“No by all means, please continue.”
Jenson knew the day was coming to a close and decided to let Mr. Murray have his few minutes of fame. He hoped to wrap up the long day in the hot Philly sun. Jack took a sip of water before concluding.
“Thank you, Mr. Jenson. Do you realize he wrote the Bill of Rights by himself? Another thing people forget was that he was the president during the War of 1812. At the time, they even called it ‘Mr. Madison’s War.’ He, Dolley, and their son had to flee Washington DC and rally the troops on horseback. Yet they managed to save important founding documents, artwork, and ultimately, the Republic itself. Do you know how close we came to reverting back to a British colony? Amazing, really. Didn’t mean to ramble.”
Jenson seconded Murray’s statement that the US almost lost its sovereignty. He asked his guest if God may have intervened.
“Yes. They say Providence lent a hand. If it was not for a massive storm, probably a hurricane spawning a tornado that stopped the British in their tracks near DC in August 1814, we would not be celebrating this holiday. That’s for sure.”
“Fine job, Jack. We are out of time today, so I want to thank all the great folks that made this show possible this weekend. We will be on hiatus for the next two weeks, returning to the air live on Monday the twentieth. I am Tim Jenson and this has been the TJ Show. Have a great Fourth of July weekend and we’ll talk to you soon. Be well.”
As the closing music began, Jenson removed his earphones and looked up at the handful of folks around his table. He asked how he did. The small crowd responded with polite clapping that made Jenson respond with a thumbs up. He prompted Murray to take his earphones off since the show was over.
Murray responded that he had a good time as his wife ran over and gave him a big hug and kiss, almost falling into his lap. Todd followed with a high five.
Jenson viewed the scene and interrupted with a compliment and light apology. “You were terrific. Sorry I could not give you more time. Because of all the guests and calls into the show today, we were jammed at the end. When we get back to Charlottesville, I want to have you on for a full segment so you can give half of Virginia a well needed history lesson.”
Dot asked Murray if they were really having dinner with Josh Anders that night.
“That’s right,” Jenson answered. “I have all the info on this itinerary that his assistant gave to me earlier.”
Jenson began cleaning up the broadcast table and equipment, the price of a local radio host conducting a remote broadcast. The Murrays were about to walk away as Jenson called
to them.
“Don’t forget. We have tickets for the four-thirty tour of the Statehouse. It’s the last tour of the day, so you don’t want to miss it or be late.”
Murray assured Jenson they would be there as they walked away from WJMD’s broadcast spot.
While Jenson looked up to get an equipment box from his producer, a limousine came up the pedestrian walkway where cars normally did not pass.
“Gotta be Josh,” Jenson mumbled under his breath. He thought only Josh Anders could make such a grandiose entrance into such an understated place. His eyes followed the car as it drove all the way up to the employee’s only entrance. The white door opened and Josh and his cousin Steve, exited the car directly into the building. The door slammed behind them.
“Guess he wasn’t in the mood for autographs,” Jenson laughed to himself as he continued packing.
4:00 Independence Hall tour
“How did Independence Hall get its name if it was called the State-house in 1776? That’s a good question that I promise to find out at the end of the tour,” answered the tour guide.
“Marquis de Lafayette,” interjected a gentleman in the back of the group.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” the tour guide countered.
“Marquis de Lafayette,” Anthony Hahn repeated. “He’s the guy who coined the name. He came to Philly in 1824. The powers that be entertained him in the Assembly Room and he called the room the Hall of Independence. I guess the name stuck and they just started referring to the whole building as Independence Hall.”
While the group shuffled along, another tourist asked if all the furniture and paintings on the walls were originals. Before the guide could respond, Hahn asked incredulously if he was kidding. “Nobody would come for a visit if that was the case.” Then he asked the hapless guide if the Assembly Room was next on the tour.
The New Founders Page 4