by Dan Donovan
(Chants of “USA!” “USA!” “USA!” as red, white and blue lights washed over the gathering.)
“The beneficial dynamics of liberty, justice and democracy are not exclusive to America. Nevertheless, the people of the world recognize America as the hallowed ground of these essential human rights. We can best guarantee freedom here at home by helping to safeguard freedom everywhere. Such a commitment requires a long term, fully dedicated response. We cannot transact a ’drive-by’ liberation of a country facing an external or internal threat to its freedom. Planning only for the short-term leads to disasters like Basraistan.”
“In my career experience I know that well-designed plans must always provide for the option to adjust to cir-cumstances. We cannot make commitments and then expect events to follow according to plan. Reality changes planning. We must encourage other nations to carry out political, economic and social reforms. These steps will help strengthen and secure their societies. Rigid ideologies are a trap, leading only to a dead end. History changes dogma. How many empires and nations have declared themselves the fulfillment of history’s intent, and then collapsed when the tide of history swept them away because they were unwilling to grow? We must always defend freedom and be willing to adjust our strategy to the nature of events on the ground.”
(“Let the thunder roll!” “Let the thunder roll!”)
“The Albertson and Galway Administrations gave scant attention to our troubled world. Ignoring problems doesn’t make them go away. This nation, this planet needs a Government in Washington that understands the conse-quences of events, even in far away countries of which we may know little about. My Administration…”
(Shouts of “President Stratton!” “President Stratton!” boomed out from the crowd.)
“…my Administration will be dedicated to protecting America’s freedom by effectively assisting other nations in dealing with global-ramification issues. We do not need, and the people of the world cannot afford, further tragedies such as we have seen in Korea and West Asia.”
(Prolonged, respectful applause.)
“It would be far too easy for me to say that I have al-ready done enough for my country. Campaigning for office is as arduous for my family as it is for me. I spend very long periods of time away from them. My dear wife, Libby, did her best to talk me out of running. She knows that for any man the quest for the Presidency can be one of travail. For a black man the quest can be one of peril. We spend too much time dividing ourselves into categories, and manufacturing excuses about differences. Before God, before the Constitution, before the rest of the world, there are no differences among us—we are all Americans!”
(The band ignites a boisterous rally by playing “This Is My Country!”)
“I have never been involved in politics before…”
(“Good for you!”)
“I frequently said to voters during the primaries ‘I may need some time learning the game.’ Their reply usually was ’It’s better that you don’t know the game. This way we can believe you when you say you’re going to change it.’”
(“Let the thunder roll!” “Let the thunder roll!”)
“I reflected long and hard about the prospect of seeking the Presidency. I was awed by the possibilities, embarrassed by the expectations and nearly daunted by the obstacles. Couldn’t I leave it to someone else? I am not a second George Washington. I am simply an ordinary citizen hoping to make America a better place for my family and friends, for others living here now and for future generations. I have no magic formula. Military strategies cannot resolve social, economic or ecological problems. As our nation’s land defense forces are built up from the squad, our nation’s society is built up from the family. My Administration…”
(Cheers, applause and air horns.)
“…will be dedicated to a return to basic training…”
(Laughter and applause.)
“…for this nation. If the family is secure with a good home, with a good job for either or both parents, with a good school for the children, with top-quality health care available to all, with everyone having an abiding respect for all others in the family, the community, the State, the Nation and the world—we begin again the soujourn to a better life for all this planet’s children of God!”
(Standing ovation and rapid-pace demonstrations.)
“With humility to guide me, I asked myself if I let someone else do it, will I be satisfied if they only partially suc-ceed? I will honestly pray that if President Galway…”
(Mild booing.)
“No! Stop that! You will respect the man and the office he holds!”
(Silence. Then applause starts slowly, finally sweeping throughout the Field.)
“I will honestly pray that if President Galway is re-elected that he will succeed in making America a better place for all.”
(Applause again.)
“If someone else partially succeeds, or if misfortune befalls them and they fail, how would I judge myself? You, the American people, have seen something in my character which you appreciate. I have sat with some of you in your living rooms, in diners, at meeting halls and sometimes in your pick-up trucks, plainly talking about America’s future. You wish to put a great responsibility on my shoulders. You believe I can step up to this challenge and succeed.”
(“You bet you can! Cory Can Do It! Cory Can Do It!”)
“Whatever success I can achieve will not be merely a personal or partisan success. It will be an American success!”
(“Let the thunder roll!”)
“This great nation of ours is a constellation of villages, towns and cities woven together forming a glittering banner of hope for the entire world. To societies still in the grip of tyranny the Light of Liberty shinning in the majestic harbor of this remarkable metropolitan region is still an inspiration. We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to all the people of the world to keep the fire of freedom burning brightly!”
(Cheer, applause and floor demonstrations led by New York State.)
“How does any President…”
(“President Stratton!” President Stratton!”)
Now in a bolder, more determined cadence Stratton continued.
“How does any President deal with the array of compelling needs and conflicting interests of a country spanning a continent from sea to shining sea? It is not easy. For all the power of the Oval Office, a President soon realizes how limited that power is. Congress, State Governments, budget restraints and other political factors can, and do, limit a President’s options.
And yet, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is a focal point of enormous influence. A President is called upon to lead this nation, to provide a stellar moral and political example, to embody the guiding spirit of earlier, great Presidents. A President must balance reality, hope and dreams.”
“Reality is the necessary acceptance of compromise. Hope is the vision which sees beyond the limitations of daily existence. Dreams, nutured in the warm textured sunlight of the imagination, are the seeds of a new and better reality.”
“A successful President is one who is capable of using these concepts, and who can build upon the public’s trust gathered through a lifetime of dedicated service to this great nation, and bring America to where she needs to be!”
“We can succeed! America can succeed!”
“We will let the thunder roll from coast to coast, from North to South, as a clarion call for renewal! We are better than what we have been! We can be as great as we once were!”
“Yes, I accept your nomination!”
“Let’s get to work!”
“And so we begin again!”
“God bless you and your family!”
“God bless The United States Of America!”
Into a sea of chanting, cheering, delirious delegates went the final words of Cory Stratton’s acceptance speech. Into the air alive with the electricity of human emotions came cascading ballons, streamers and confetti. All the Field’s lights went up on Stratton’s c
onclusion. The noise rose and spiralled, echoing off the walls and the dome, a continuous wave with an almost physical impact.
Stratton, having stood alone at the podium, was now sur-rounded by his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, other relatives, plus various politicians. For an obligatory photo-op Stratton stood with upraised arms, shoulder to shoulder, with Bert Maurus. As soon as decently possible Maurus was led to the side, officially to greet his home State delegation that was positioned near the podium.
Cory Stratton, epicenter of triumphal expectations, let himself listen to a tiny voice within: “What have I gotten myself into? Oh, well, if you can’t retreat it’s better to advance.” He brought his wife and chidren center stage to share a group hug. This moment was featured on all major daily newspapers the following day, in the opening minutes of the evening news broadcasts, and shown on the most-watched internet video loop.
Dreams are the seeds for a new and better reality.
Other Site, Other Outcome
EDWARD GALWAY’S CONVENTION was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the 11th and 12th of August. It is important to note this fact because when the time came for the selection of the incumbent President and Vice President as their party’s nominees for these same posts the event was designated as a “below the fold” news item. The nation’s read-worthy newspapers, the tabloids, and the television, radio and internet news reports during the time of the Convention had their attention sharply focused on two developing stories oc-curring elsewhere. The lack of excitement in Pittsburgh did not help Galway’s already difficult task of overcoming Cory Stratton’s boost in the polls as a result of his inspirational acceptance address.
At home, the media was presenting the drama of the frantic evacuation of sections of the City of Los Angeles as a firestorm consumed vast tracts of land to the east. Climate change had been creeping into the national awareness since the start of the new Millenneum. In Southern California the issue became apparent when the sun-baked region experienced a drop in its already scant rainfall totals during the April to December period over the past several years. In the mountains bordering the city an average of less than 2 inches of rain was likely during the dry season. The vegatation that managed to sprout in the wet season (January through March) was drained of moisture in years when daily temperatures reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit at the beginning of April.
2008 was such a year—with an added catastrophic fea-ture of an early appearance of the Santa Ana Winds. The Winds blow across Los Angeles from the east or northeast, having been created by a combination of a strong in-land high pressure system and a strong low pressure storm off the coast. The Winds usually began after September, but here it was mid-August and the Winds were gusting to 79 MPH.
Politics added to the problem. The Federalist-controlled Senate had not yet approved the President’s nominee for Interior Secretary. This delayed formulation of the agency’s budget prioritization—which meant no money was being spent on clearing away the tinder-dry vegatation in the mountains around the city.
On August 9th an unknown back-packer in the Angeles National Forest near Monrovia is believed to have neglected to effectively extinguish his camp fire. A spark was caught by the Winds and by mid-afternoon an inferno was devouring the landscape.
The waves of ash and smoke, the barrage of flaming debris, the clouds of lethal fumes and a rapidly advancing flame wall estimated at 300 feet high led one exhausted firefighter to remark: “It was like scenes from Peter Jackson’s new trilogy, Pompeii.” (The films were based on the 2003 novel by Robert Harris.)
By the 12th, over 480 square miles had been charred by the conflagration. Its advance towards the coast was halted at the Golden State Highway just east of Stars Stadium. Ninety-six people were reported as killed, most of these were civilians who had attempted to save their homes by using garden hoses. Five firefighters were killed when a flame-bomb exploded out of the inferno and struck a command post a mile away.
Downtown Los Angeles was a wasteland of smoke, ash and debris; a half-dozen major fires were started in the area by wind-blown embers. The overall economic cost of the calamity was later put at $10 billion. It was the most significant natural disaster within the United States since the December 16, 1947 earthquake that devastated St. Louis, Missouri. The 9.0 temblor severely damaged or destroyed over 50% of the structures in the city, and killed 1712 people.
Further south a political storm was erupting. On Sunday August 10th Mexico held an election for President and members of the Chamber of Deputies. The incumbent President could not seek re-election. He had been the first opposition candidate ever elected to the post; and, now the Popular Revolutionary Movement (MPR) was seeking to regain control of the top political office.
The two major opposition parties again agreed upon a coalition and a joint candidate. The campaign process was being monitored by representatives of the Organization of Western Hemisphere States (OWHS).
Mexico’s disaster struck late Sunday night. The popular vote count had reached a point where the observers were on the verge of declaring the coalition’s Presidential candidate (university professor Eduardo de Valera Costilla) the victor. Shortly after 11pm an explosion rocked the building hous-ing the tabulation center, knocking out the electricity and communications systems. Then, troops armed with assault rifles and flash lights entered the center and forced everyone out onto the streets. The commander of these troops based within the city had been appointed by the last MPR President, and he was still loyal to the organization.
At the stroke of midnight a MPR spokesman announced that the “official” vote count had been completed. It showed the MPR’s candidate had received 49.8% of the vote to de Valera’s 48.9%. The remaining votes were scattered among several minor candidates. The results for the Chamber of Deputies were not included in the statement.
The coalition parties and the OWHS observers were outraged. Their protests were given the stage of immediate access to news crews from around the world. Mr. de Valera was scopped up by the correspondent for World Network News, and was provided a full hour to present his case to the planet. Most middle and upper class homes in Mexico City had access to international news reports. The coalition parties deployed sound trucks throughout the working class and poor sections warning of the MPR’s blatant attempt to steal another election. By sunrise a huge throng had assembled in the Plaza de la Constitucion. Around 9am de Valera and other prominent coalition leaders arrived to address the people. They declared that the independent observers would refute the MPR’s claim, and that they were preparing to issue a report verifying de Valera as the President-elect.
When de Valera rose to speak the roar from those gathered was exhilarating as well as deafening. He proposed a march to the site of the Chamber of Deputies where he intended to request a proclamation of support from the current members. These Deputies’ term in office would run until the results of the previous day’s balloting could be verified. They would now be asked to decide on the legitimacy of the next Presidential Administration. A majority of those in the Chamber chosen at the previous election had been linked with the MPR; de Valera now hoped a vast public rally would sway those who feared the MPR was losing its iron grip. Mexico’s Constitution, written by the founders of the MPR, did not provide a mechanism for resolving a disputed outcome. Such a development had been inconceivable within a MPR dominated system.
The debate in the Chamber began Monday afternoon. It rapidly decended into shrill-voiced pandemonium. MPR Deputies openly accused de Valera of being a paid dupe of Wall Street bankers. After several hours of haranguing each other the majority leader prepared to end the debate by calling for a vote. Some MPR Deputies responded by unleashing chants of “Illegal” and “Traitor” before storming out of the session. However, not all the MPR members departed. Enough stayed to provide a quorum for the coalition parties.
The head of the coalition in the Chamber was selected as a new majority leader. He proposed, had seconded, and
obtained approval of a declaration accepting Eduardo de Valera Costilla as the President-elect. The issue was not so easily resolved, as the next morning’s newspapers revealed.
The Miami Herald warned: “Mexico At Brink of Civil War—25 of 31 State Governors (all of MPR) Reject de Valera Vote By Deputies.”
The Washington Post reported: “MPR Says Presidential Vote Is Null and Void.”
The N.Y. Herald Tribune revealed: “Durango Drug Cartel Sees Gain in Turmoil—Danger of Colombia-Style Coup Feared.”
The Tribune’s article went to recall the events which led to the cancellation of Colombia’s 1992 Presidential election. The South American nation had been traumatized for decades by an escalating torrent of violence. Historically, this strife was a blood-feud between political extremes. In the 1980s a third faction, the country’s powerful drug cartel, entered the fray. Within a decade the cartel dominated nearly a third of Colombia.
In 1992 four candidates were assassinated during the Presidential campaign, including a reform-minded Senator who had been projected as the probable winner by several polls. Six weeks before Election Day an Army General, long believed by the U.S. Drug Enfocement Agency to be on the payroll of the cartel, staged a coup d’etat and ousted the incumbent, democratically elected Government. The General declared his actions were intended to defend the State against chaos created by “undisciplined civilians.” He pledged to restructure the political process and return the government to a democratic format “when an appropriate scenario evolved.” The General complimented this announcement with the appointment of several known drug traffickers to Cabinet posts. Sixteen years later the General still occupies the Presidential palace.
Edward Galway’s acceptance speech was summarized in a 15-second sound bite on most of Tuesday’s late evening broadcast news programs. Articles on the closing ceremonies were bumped back in many of Wednesday’s (the 13th) newspapers and news web-sites. Far more attention was being lavished upon the devastation in California.