by Jerry Ahern
Michael smiled wanly, “Yeah, but look what I did to my hand.” It was still seeping blood from the deep cut resulting from contact with Greene’s teeth.
Rourke said, “You know...”
Michael interrupted, “Yes Dad I know the human mouth is a cesspool of germs and a cut like this is dangerous. I’ve already disinfected it. You taught me well, I’m just sorry I didn’t listen better in some areas.”
Rourke reached up and cuffed Michael’s chin, “Didn’t teach you well enough. You should have used an elbow strike; saves wear and tear on the knuckles. Hey, who’s hungry?”
Natalia spoke up, “I’m sorry John; we don’t have anything prepared. Michael and I were going out for supper after the debate.”
Rourke heard a car horn in front of the home, “Paul, can you handle that. Bill’s already been paid, just give the kid a tip if you would.”
“Done,” Rubenstein dug out his billfold and headed back out through the gate.
“Michael you and Emma drag out some plates. Paula and Annie you guys get the drinks started. Pizza in five minutes.”
When the others left, Natalia said, “This is nice John, it will mean a lotto Michael. He has been so upset after we left that day. And it means a lotto me.”
“It’s what family is all about, Natalia. We may disagree among ourselves but it has always been the Rourkes against the rest of the world. Greene better be glad he was dealing with Michael, I would have killed him on national TV.”
Natalia smiled, “Michael said the same thing. John, he is conflicted. He feels like he should have done more to Greene. Hurt him more, he’s not like you John.”
Rourke patted her hand, “Michael did exactly what he should have done, exactly the right way and in exactly the right amount. He did something every good politician, if there is such a thing, has wanted to do since the first debates were televised.”
After the two pizzas had been devoured, the girls cleaned up the mess while Paul, Michael and his father started a small fire in the fire ring Michael had set up in the middle of his yard. Rourke had splashed some sour mash in each of the glasses and fired up one of his cigars.
Michael finally spoke, “Okay Dad, I’m sure you have a lotto say.”
Rourke shook his head, “Nope, just enjoying a smoke and a drink with my son and best friend.”
“No Rourke wisdom or motivation on this the worst night of my life and the end of a promising career in politics?”
“Nope, this isn’t the worst night of your life, you’ve seen worse. Maybe the end of a political career but we’ll just have to wait and see about that. This isn’t the worst night of your life. Now will you shut up and let me enjoy my drink and cigar?”
“Well, I just figured... You always seem to know what to say and when to say it.”
“I do and I did. Shut up, have a drink and a smoke with your friends. Best medicine in the world.”
Rubenstein finally spoke, “Well, I have somethings to say Michael. First of all, I’m proud of you. You did the right and correct thing and you did it on national television. You stood up to a bully and a scoundrel. You stood up for your wife and for your family and for your honor. There wasn’t a man, not a real man, in that audience that wasn’t hoping you’d do what you did. We’re all proud of you, all of us men.”
“I don’t remember exactly how John Wayne said it, but here ya go...” Paul stood and switched to his imitation of the Duke, “I’m going to tell you something Michael and I want you to listen tight. It may sound like I’m talking about me but I’m not, I’m talking about you. As a matter of fact I’m talking about all people everywhere. When I came down hereto Texas I was looking for something. I didn’t know what. It seems like you added up my life and I spent it all either stomping other men or in some cases getting stomped. Had me some money and had me some metals, but none of it seemed a lifetime worth the pain of the mother that bore me.”
“It’s like I was empty somehow. Well I’m not empty anymore. That’s what’s important; to feel useful in this old world. To hit a lick against what’s wrong or to say a word for what’s right even though you get walloped for saying that word. Now I may sound like a Bible beater yelling up a revival at a river crossing camp meeting but that don’t change the truth none. There’s right and there’s wrong. You got to do one or the other. You do the one and you’re living. You do the other and you may be walking around, but you’re dead as a beaver hat.”
John Thomas Rourke applauded and said, “Now Michael, if your political career was not completely destroyed tonight, here’s your next speech. ‘The folks who are getting free stuff, don’t like the folks who are paying for the free stuff, because the folks who are paying for the free stuff can no longer afford to pay for both the free stuff and their own stuff. The folks who are paying for the free stuff want the free stuff to stop, and the folks who are getting the free stuff want even more free stuff on top of the free stuff they are already getting! Now... The people who are forcing the people to pay for the free stuff have told the people who are RECEIVING the free stuff, that the people who are PAYING for the free stuff, are being mean, prejudiced, and racist. So... The people who are GETTING the free stuff have been convinced they need to hate the people who are paying for the free stuff by the people who are forcing some people to pay for their free stuff, and giving them the free stuff in the first place. We have let the free stuff giving go on for so long that there are now more people getting free stuff than paying for the free stuff. Thomas Jefferson said it best: ‘The democracy (Republic) will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.’”
“Now will you people shut up and let me drink and enjoy this cigar?”
Chapter Fourteen
Michael Rourke had learned that the political climate in America had been controlled for eighty plus years by the dominate and conservative, Representative Party whose foundations were strongly based in the Constitution of the old America, its foundational documents and principals that had formed that country so long ago. Their opponents, the Progressive Party were the latest iteration of third parties that had come and gone since the reconstruction period following the Night of the War. Humankind greatly reduced following the conflagration and continued wars had been significantly impacted, surviving for the most part in either underground or underwater facilities.
It had been a slow process to climb back out of the abyss of near extinction; it had not been easy but it had happened. Now, with the total world population in millions instead of billions life had returned to something similar to pre-war conditions, just at a greatly reduced size.
Man’s basic nature, according to John Thomas Rourke, has never changed. He was fond of saying, “You have to remember that the Golden Age of philosophy was ancient Greece. Yes, we have greater technology than ever before, but our technicians have not changed. As part of that non-change, the world still had despots willing to sacrifice everyone else to accomplish their goals of domination and control.” The Progressives exemplified that.
Phillip Greene’s “advisor” had called for this meeting. They were to discuss the drastic slipping of Greene’s polls numbers following the “punch in the puss” as the media was calling it now. The “advisor” spoke confidently, “If you say it enough, repeat the lie, repeat the lie, repeat the lie enough and eventually people believe it. Edwards Bernays and early 20th century progressives perfected the model. There are basically three steps in persuasion; technique in the delivery, spin in the interpretation, and persistence in forcing mindsets. Stay with glittering generalities, bad logic, and bandwagon. If you hold true to these principals, spin takes on a life of its own. Propaganda is an integral part of public information campaigns especially those conducted by governments. The trick is to be better at it than your opponents. You simply have to stay on the positive side between advertising, a form of overt propaganda and what is known as ‘covert propaganda.’”
“If, for exa
mple, a reader believes that a paid advertisement is in fact a news item, the message that you are trying to communicate will be more easily ‘believed’ or ‘internalized.’ Such advertisements are rather obvious examples of ‘covert’ propaganda because they take on the appearance of objective information rather than the appearance of propaganda.”
“To be effective, a propagandist must seek to change the way people understand an issue or situation for the purpose of changing their actions and expectations in ways that are desirable to the interest group. We must control what the people hear and prevent people from being confronted with opposing points of view. We must change people’s understanding through deception and confusion rather than persuasion and understanding. Our party leaders may know the information to be one sided or untrue, but we cannot allow this for the rank and file members who help to disseminate the propaganda.”
“Propaganda can be the most powerful weapon in war; if it’s used to dehumanize and create hatred toward a supposed enemy by fostering a false image in the mind. This should be done by using derogatory terms, avoiding some words while making allegations of your opponent’s atrocities. The public must feel your opponent committed an injustice whether he has or not. In other words, lie and lie consistently and tell that lie at every opportunity.”
“What most fail to understand about this form of psychological warfare is that it is primarily meant to reinforce the mindsets of people who already believe as you wish them too. If people believe something false, they will constantly be assailed by doubts. Since these doubts are unpleasant, people want their doubts removed and therefore are receptive to the reassurances of those in power.”
“If your information comes from an openly identified source, it can be characterized by the gentler methods of persuasion, such as standard public relations techniques and a one-sided presentation of an argument. Identify your information as being from one source, when it is in fact from another. Even better is propaganda without any identifiable source or author. Making your enemies believe falsehoods by using straw arguments. Then attack your opponent, as opposed to attacking their arguments. Be tireless in the repetition of an idea. Develop a simple slogan, repeat enough times; it will be as the truth. Appeal to authority; cite prominent figures that support your position, idea, argument, or course of action. Appeal to fear and seek to build support by instilling anxieties and panic in the general population. Appeal to prejudice, for example, your opponent’s father is best friends with a Jew; Rourke himself is married to a former KGB Major. Speak often of your ‘inevitable-victory’ and that your audience should join in and take the course of action that ‘everyone else is taking.’”
“Always remember, to be effective a lie must be the repeated articulation of complex events that justify subsequent action. The descriptions of these events must have elements of truth so a ‘big lie’ will merge and eventually supplant the public’s accurate perception of the underlying events. Present only two options or situations, ‘You’re either with us; or against us....’ And you must present yourself as one of the people; be the common man with uncommon insight and abilities, reflect the common sense of the people. This will win the confidence of the audience by communicating in the common manner and style of the target audience.”
“Use ordinary language and mannerisms; clothe your message in face-to-face and audiovisual communications while identifying your point of view with that of the average person. For example, ‘Given that the country is going through a dangerous time and the economy has suffered, we should stop paying unemployment benefits to those who do not work, because that is like maxing out all your credit cards during a tight period, when you should be tightening your belt.’”
“Do not be afraid or hesitant to demonize your opponent and his family. Remember, ‘They are not like us. They were part of the personality that destroyed the world over 600 years ago. They have killed in cold blood. Their conduct has often been, at the very least immoral. They created the destruction of their own world and now are trying to do it to our own world.’”
“Finally, an attempt to influence public perception by disseminating negative and dubious/false information designed to undermine the credibility of their beliefs. Remember, Adolf Hitler said, ‘The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly—it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.’ Stay on message. And obfuscate, be intentionally vague and confusing, that the audience may supply its own interpretations. Move the audience by use of undefined phrases, don’t analyze their validity or attempt to determine their reasonableness or application. Cause people to draw their own interpretations rather than be presented with an explicit idea.”
Phillip Greene stood and extended his hand, “Thank you Captain Dodd for this invaluable advice.”
Dodd said simply, “That is all for today, Mr. Greene.”
The next morning, Michael was sitting on the patio munching the last piece of pizza from the night before, contemplating what to do with the rest of his life now that his political career had come to such a crashing end. The “funeral party” had not broken up until after midnight. Paul and Annie had left about 11:30. Natalia and Emma were found dozing in recliners in the living room when John and Michael had finished the last of the sour mash. John had given Emma the keys and she drove them back across town to their home on the beach. Michael had covered Natalia with a comforter and taken up Emma’s recliner and spent the night there.
His muscles were sore from that sleeping position but when he awoke at 6:00 his head was surprising clear. He brewed a pot of coffee, grabbed the cold pizza and retired outside where he plaintively examined his actions last evening and decided things would just have to turn out how they were going to turn out. He heard the ringing of the house phone and started to get up when he heard Natalia answer it.
Natalia came out, handed her husband the mobile phone and sat down with a steaming cup of coffee, “Michael you have a phone call.”
“Who is it; I don’t want to talk to anyone.”
“You need to take this call,” she said sternly.
“This is Michael Rourke. Who’s calling?”
The voice said simply, “Please hold for the President...” The President, Arthur Hooks’ stage quality baritone voice spoke first, “Michael that was quite a show you put on last night.”
“Mr. President, I’m sorry but I could not allow that bastard to slander my wife, my family or me...”
“Hold it Michael. I’m not calling to chew you out. We need to talk and we need to talk face to face with absolute privacy and we need to talk now. Will you meet me, not in my office and not at your home?”
“It will take me a while to get cleaned up; it was a difficult and late evening. Can you give me an hour?”
“That will be fine. I’ll have my driver pick you up in his personal car. No one is to know about this meeting, am I being perfectly clear? Oh, and dress casual.”
An hour and forty-three minutes later, America’s President and a former Presidential candidate walked along the beach on the southwestern side of the island. Michael had greeted the President with a hand shake and the Chief Executive had directed, “Let’s take a walk.” Neither had spoken for the last ten minutes. “You know this part of the island has always been my favorite,” the President said, deeply inhaling the salt tinged breeze.
Michael agreed, “It is lovely...” They stopped near water and sat on some lava outcroppings, remnants of an ancient volcanic eruption. “Look, Mr. President I know my political aspirations are shot. I’m okay with that, I appreciate it but I really don’t need a pep talk right now.”
“Actually, Mr. Rourke this isn’t a pep talk. I want you to listen to me for a few moments. Following your performance last night, I have been in round the clock meetings with a very select group of advisors, they are not sure your political aspirations are in quite the position you think they are.”
“Hold on Michael, let me finish. Here is the situation as we see it. While your attack on Greene was ‘unfortunate’ and not exactly the way we had planned things; at the same time it appears it may have been fortuitous after all. The polls have gone through the roof, with a significant amount of support for... you. It seems my boy you have positioned yourself, however unintentionally, as a folk hero. Greene, on public television and in the middle of a Presidential debate appears to have committed one hell of a faux paux; he attacked the Rourke family with comments designed to make you lose your cool and do something stupid, which you did. What Greene did not apparently count on was the backlash from his abysmal and blatant lies, and I don’t think he anticipated getting knocked on his butt.”
“Sir, I’m a little confused,” Michael said. “What exactly are you telling me?”
“Michael, what I’m saying is you very well may have won the election last night. It is too early to tell but the media—the ones not controlled by the Progressives—are hailing you as the next Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan all rolled into one. Greene has made another tactical error; he didn’t immediately file charges against you and he has already gone on the record saying he won’t—if he filed charges of assault against you now, everyone will see it as a political ploy to take the election. He has cast the die and now is going to have to live with it.”
“But Sir,” Michael countered, “If I start campaigning again now, I give him a platform to start the attacks all over again.”
“This is exactly why you are officially off the campaign trail. Listen, about 12 years ago, the Progressives were just surging to power. Under the guise of ‘political correctness’ they were able to push through several pieces of legislation. That is when they reformed our welfare program and changed it from a way to help people to a mechanism that created dependency on the government for the ‘disenfranchised,’ that was their way of ‘buying’ votes, and it has worked. At that time there were battles going on between the Representative Party, the Democratic Alliance Party and about four minor third parties, one of which was the Progressives.”