Electroral Carnage

By Lee Presley

The 2016 presidential election has come down to two candidates; a billionaire, conservative business man new to politics and the current president seeking reelection for her second term. She is also the wife of a former two term president. Spanning from the first presidential debate to Election Day, the lengths that the candidates will go to ach

• Language: English
• Publisher: White & Gold Press
• Release date: Jul 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9798986211121

Book preview

One

September 26, 2016

Monday

Welcome to the first presidential debate of the 2016 campaign, my name is Larry Crenshaw, and it is my pleasure to be your moderator tonight. And so, began the first night in the 2016 presidential election where the two candidates shared a stage.

Each candidate, Democrat Jennifer Francis, and Republican Tim Reed, arrived at this point after a long, bitter, and hard-fought primary campaign. The candidates could not have been further apart in manner, style, or politics.

Jennifer Francis is the current president of the United States, and the first woman ever elected to that office. In addition, she is the only former First Lady to become president since her husband, Rich, was elected to his first term as president twenty-four years earlier. Jennifer, a life-long Democrat, epitomizes the party line; liberal, progressive, and a true believer that government can cure the problems that America faces.

Tim Reed, on the other hand, is a self-made billionaire in the computer industry that just recently turned to politics - as he put it, To save America. A bombastic opinionated man known for changing his position on topics to suit his current goals, even to the point of being a Democrat early in his life.

Both candidates have polarized the American people during the primaries. President Francis by maintaining the status quo, and not being able to grow the economy as promised. Furthermore, terrorist attacks abroad and domestically have shaken the voters’ confidence in her ability to keep them safe. In addition, questions were raised years ago about her honesty when it was revealed by a former Secret Service agent on the first president Francis’ detail and confirmed by the other women, that her husband had an affair while he was president, even though she knew about it soon after it happened, she never revealed it until forced to after it became public, and then, only after initial denials. The Christian conservative block of the Republican Party viewed this as a mortal sin and utter lack of judgement, for both the former and current president. Current polls reflect that the American voters see President Francis as an average person doing an average job, with an average chance of improvement in a second term.

Republican nominee Tim Reed has alienated or energized, depending on your perspective, the country by what he says more than what he has done. Nicknamed The mouth by the liberal side of the press, Reed talked his way through the primaries by making outlandish statements that either fired you up or pissed you off.

After receiving a Business Degree from Stanford, Reed joined his father’s extraordinarily successful software business, ReedTech. His father’s untimely death thrust Reed into the spotlight of the business world, and the media at the tender age of twenty-six. His first, and best, business decision was to leave the board of directors and management team of the company intact. The company continued to flourish in the ensuring years, leaving Reed with an incredible amount of money, and an incredible amount of spare time. He was a darling of the media, always good with for a pithy quote when markets fluctuated, or government regulations changed. Because of his lavish lifestyle, extraordinary wealth, and glamorous former model current wife, his third, Reed is a household name in America and around the world.

Politics never appeared to be a calling for Reed until crime touched his family in a horrific way. His only son, Tim Junior, was attacked, robbed, and killed on a San Francisco street by three thugs, two Blacks and one Hispanic, all with gang ties and a lifetime of arrest records. Security cameras at a nearby store captured the crime and placed the three criminals at the scene. One of the felons was arrested trying to use a credit card stolen during the crime. Under intense questioning, some outside of legal guidelines, he gave up his two accomplices. One was arrested at his home without incident, while the other was shot to death after killing one of the arresting officers.

Reed and his wife, Selena, sat through every day of the trial of the two remaining killers, reliving day after day the worst moment of their lives. Tragedy either unites or divides the survivors. In this case, out of the public eye, the division was complete. Tim Reed spiraled down into an abyss of hatred and racism while Selena Reed followed the path of depression and alcoholism. Without their son to keep them together, they drifted further and further apart. A marriage of convenience far more than love, became a marriage in name only. However, for public consumption, the marriage appeared to have never changed.

Tim Reed is a man of action, not one to accept that there is a problem he cannot solve, and he is determined to solve the crime problem in America by whatever means he thinks are necessary.

The venue for tonight’s debate is the thousand seat Pfeiffer Hall on the campus of North Central College, a three thousand student private liberal arts school located in Naperville, Illinois. Just over thirty miles from the broad shoulders of Chicago, Naperville is a picturesque verdant town set along a slow meandering river. With Chicago and its suburbs voting traditionally Democrat, and the county North Central is in voting traditionally Republican, the advance teams for the two candidates easily agreed on the location. Both teams thinking they would have an advantage.

Larry Crenshaw, a long serving anchor on one of the country’s nightly news shows, began the debate by asking President Francis, What is the single most important issue facing America today?

After thanking Mr. Crenshaw, the debate organizers, the audience in the hall, and the viewers watching at home, President Francis answered, Without a doubt, the number one issue facing America today is terrorism, both domestic and international.

Tim Reed took this opportunity to state, Wrong.

Mr. Reed, you will have your turn to answer the question after President Francis has finished, admonished Crenshaw.

Thank you, Larry, President Francis said, I don’t see how anything can be clearer. Over the past four years, my administration has fought and defeated terrorism all around the globe. While we have been successful in the war, we must never for a moment let ourselves believe that we can relax. This is all the terrorist are waiting for one opening in our defense so they can repeat the atrocity of 9/11. The first responsibility of the president of the United States is, and always will be, to protect and defend the American people. I promise you here tonight that this will always be my top priority as your president.

Half of the audience applauded while the other half remained stoic. Crenshaw reminded the people in the hall that they had agreed to remain quite until the end of the debate. How could anyone realistically believe that this would happen? What was the point of having a live audience if they were expected to act as if they were dead?

Mr. Reed, same question, said Crenshaw.

Well thank you Larry, I would love to tell the American people what really the most important issue facing us is – crime, answered Reed. There is an epidemic of crime across this country. When it comes to crime America is like a third world African nation instead of the most powerful nation on earth. Crime is tearing apart the fabric that made this country great. We must get tough on crime, we must get tough on criminals, and we must get tough on the politicians that allowed this to happen. Despite Larry Crenshaw’s best efforts, half the crowd applauded and cheered for an extended time.

Once order had been restored Crenshaw asked Mr. Reed, So you don’t see terrorism as big of a problem?

Reed answered, Larry, of course it is a problem because the current administration has allowed it to be one. Instead of solving the problem, the politically correct and pacifist actions of this administration have only made it worst. When I’m president, terrorist will know better than to mess with us. These cowards only understand one thing – force. As president I will hunt them down in every cave and cellar where these rats live and show them how we exterminate vermin.

After the outburst that followed, Crenshaw pleaded with the crowd to stop interrupting.

President Francis said, Larry, since Mr. Reed disparaged my administration, I must set the record straight. We have had more success in the war on terrorism than any other administration, including capturing or eliminating more terrorist leaders than ever before. I wish fighting terrorism was as easy as Mr. Reed thinks it is. It requires intelligence, support of our coalition partners, and the efforts of our brave men and women in service. In addition, my administration has always made it a priority to protect innocent lives in the pursuit of terrorist. If it were as simple as some people may think, as carpet bombing a place on a map, we would have done that, but the reality is it isn’t that simple. All terrorists are not stupid. They have learned how to be resourceful as a means of self-preservation. They hide among innocent people and use them as human shields, so we can’t attack them. Unlike Mr. Reed, I do not see restraining from putting good people in harm’s way as politically correct or pacifist, I see it as humane and the morally right thing to do. If we deliberately kill the innocent to stop terrorism, are we any better than the terrorist?

Again, half the audience applauded while the other half sat on their hands. Crenshaw tried to regain control of the debate by moving on to his next question, Mr. Reed, you brought up crime in America in your answer to the first question, specifically what you would do to reduce crime?

As I said we must get tough, we have become so liberal the criminals are getting away with murder – literally. Certain elements in our country have decided that it is easier and pays better to be a thug than to work. This must stop and I will stop it. When I’m president, everyone, and I mean everyone, will be held accountable to the law. If you break the law, we will break you. The police will be allowed to enforce the law. If a cop tells you to stop and you choose to run, well you may not run again. The police are not the bad guys. We must support them with the tools they need to get the job done. It is unbelievable to me that cops in this country can roll up on a crime scene and be outgunned. We must get them whatever they need to get these thugs off the street and locked up where they belong. Then we must clean up the courts and the liberal judges that let this scum back out on the streets. I don’t care that the punk doesn’t know who his father is, or that he can’t keep a job, or that he never finished high school; if he breaks the law he should be put away until he learns not to do it again. There are too many liberal bleeding hearts out there that care more about the criminals than they do about the victims. Like the old saying goes, if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.

It took Mr. Crenshaw five minutes to restore order before he could move the debate along by asking, President Francis, what is your plan to reduce crime in America?

Well Larry, unlike my opponent, I don’t think old, worn-out clichés will solve the problem. We must look beyond the superficial good versus evil aspect and investigate the root causes of the problem. This is not a race issue as my opponent would like you to believe. There are plenty of crimes committed by Caucasians. We need to determine what drives people of all colors to commit crimes. Is it poverty, is it lack of education, or is it lack of opportunity? We must also determine what causes some of our people to not trust the police. Until we understand the root causes and correct them this cycle of crime will continue. More incarceration is not the answer, we have more people in prison than any other nation on earth, it doesn’t solve the problem. You don’t have to have a PhD in physiology to understand that there are people across this great land that need help. The causes that lead people to a life of crime must be corrected or the problem will just continue. I don’t know all the reasons that someone would turn to crime, but I am convinced that if everyone thought the playing field was level, and everyone had the same opportunities, then crime in the country would drop dramatically. My administration has and will continue to work to level the field. We have and will improve the education system, we have and will lift people out of poverty, we have and will create new jobs, and we have and will work to give all Americans the opportunities they deserve.

The Democrats in the audience responded to this with prolonged applause of their own. When he felt it was quiet enough for the audience to focus on him, Mr. Reed, with a smug grin on his face looked directly at President Francis and began clapping in a staccato fashion. Turning to look precisely into the camera displaying the red-light Reed asked, How’s that working for you? This was greeted by laughter and catcalls.

Mr. Crenshaw took this moment to ask his next question, Mr. Reed, what is your opinion of the state of the American economy today?

Mr. Reed responded, It’s bad Larry, very bad. We live in the greatest country on this planet, with the potential to have the greatest economy the world has ever seen. It is a shame that anyone in America that wants to work cannot find a job. It is a shame that so many of our jobs are being allowed to be shipped overseas by the current administration. It is a shame that so many of our jobs are being taken by illegal immigrants. When I’m president this will stop. Bad trade deals will be renegotiated, and laws will be changed so that American companies will export products, not jobs. The immigration laws will be enforced to stem the tide of illegals entering this country. Job growth will be a top priority for my presidency. Unlike my opponent, I run a large successful corporation, I know how to create jobs, and I know plenty of other people in business that can help me get it done.

Mr. Crenshaw quickly turned to President Francis and said, Same question.

She smiled and answered, Well Larry, let me start by saying there is a substantial difference between being president of a corporation and president of the United States.

Mr. Reed interrupted by asking, How would you know? This generated a smattering of laughter from the audience.

President Francis responded, I know because I am the president, and I know it is the toughest job in the world. There are many heads of corporations, but only one president of the United States. This was greeted with some cheers.

"Larry, as I was saying, the president must deal with the entire world, not just one company, or one business. Other countries are always trying to create the best deal for themselves. Trade deals are difficult, protracted negotiations, where no one gets everything they want. America cannot exist in isolation; it must work with the rest of the world.

Mr. Reed is disingenuous in what he says, his company does business all around the world, and it has manufacturing outsourced to other countries. As far as the immigrants working in this country the vast majority perform jobs that most American citizens do not want. My administration has grown the economy in our first four years, and we will do even better in our next four. Changing courses while we are on the right path would be a terrible decision for the country.

Mr. Reed, sensing this topic was one he could score points on, said, Larry, I would like to respond to that. With all the great minds in this country and all the innovative, hardworking people, there is only one reason why our economy isn’t booming right now, and she’s on this stage.

Mr. Crenshaw again had to admonish the audience after the outburst that followed this comment.

The president responded, It takes more than juvenile sarcastic remarks to grow the economy. Perhaps Mr. Reed would like to share the details of his plan with the American people since so far in this campaign he has talked a lot but explained little. You could sense a vibe in the crowd at this direct attack on Mr. Reed by the president. The lack of specifics in Mr. Reed’s speeches was a major recurring theme in the mainstream and left leaning press.

Mr. Reed turned to the president and said, I will reveal my great plans for our economy when I’m ready, not when you say. We’ve seen the results of your plan for the last four years and anyone can see where that has gotten us.

Trying to regain control, Mr. Crenshaw asked, Perhaps this would be a good time to move on to our next question. President Francis this question goes to you first, where do you see America’s place in the world?

The president answered, Well Larry, that’s a great question and one I can answer in one word – leader. America must always be that beacon on a hill that other countries look up to for leadership, support, and hope. We must always lead in the fight to bring democracy to the parts of the world that remain under oppressive regimes. We must always lead in the fight to rid this world of terrorism wherever it appears. We must always lead in the fight for free markets around the world. My administration will continue to do everything in our power to maintain our position of leadership over the next four years.

Without waiting for Mr. Crenshaw to ask him the question, Mr. Reed stated, America was the world leader at the end of the Second World War, when communism collapsed, and the end of the Gulf War. However, we always seem to let these moments pass and let other countries, like Russia, and China assume power. This is the state we are currently in where the rest of the world does not view us as a leader, and how could they: we have rampant crime, terrorism everywhere, a slow economy, and a president that can’t be trusted to tell the truth. At this point the director cut to the camera on President Francis catching her rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

Mr. Reed continued, When I’m your president America will be the world leader. First, we will clean up the mess at home and then we will straighten out the world. Terrorist in the Middle East your days are numbered. That nut job in North Korea will be put in his place. Countries around the world will finally have to decide, are they with us or against us.

Half the crowd erupted and continued to cheer and applaud over the demand from Mr. Crenshaw that they be quiet. It took minutes to regain order in the hall. The entire time Mr. Reed smiled and gave a thumbs-up to the audience, while President Francis shook her head with a smirk on her face.

When order was restored, President Francis said, So easy to say, so hard to do.

Mr. Reed responded, Maybe for you. That set off another round of laughter.

Trying to get back in control of the event, Mr. Crenshaw declared, Mr. Reed, what is your opinion on the current state of the country’s military?

"Larry, in a word – deplorable. And let me be clear, I’m not saying anything against our fine men and women serving in the military, I’m talking about leadership, size, and equipment. The current administration has failed our country by not keeping our armed forces up to date. Because of our preeminent position in the world, we must have the most powerful military there is. Like it or not, there are threats to America and our friends from countries and groups all over the planet and we must be prepared to stop them.

Funding for defense must be increased so that we can be the most powerful force on earth. I agree, defending the United States from attack is the most important job a president must do, and I promise you that when I’m president I will do it. What the current administration has let happen is appalling. They have let the size of our navy slip to the level of the First World War. When I’m your president this trend will be reversed, and our navy, and the rest of our military, will be the pride and envy of the world. North Korea, little North Korea, has an army about the same size as ours. This can’t be, and when I’m president it will not be.

Once again, half the audience applauded and cheered. A USA, USA chant broke out before Crenshaw could regain control.

President Francis remained stoic throughout Mr. Reed’s answer and the commotion that followed. This very question was one that she had been asked during her preparation for the debate. She and her staff had predicted this would be his response and she was prepared to answer.

Mr. Crenshaw turned to President Francis and asked, How would you describe the current shape of our military?

"Larry, we have the best men and women in uniform in the world. Every day across the globe our brave soldiers, sailors, and airmen, go about their job of keeping us safe, and we owe them our heartfelt gratitude. No force can match the power and resolve of our fighting forces. As president I have and will continue to support our military to the best of my ability.

"But, unlike Mr. Reed, I know it is about more than just numbers and dollars. It is quite easy for politicians, or people like Mr. Reed, to say we must spend more on the military; it has gotten to the point that if you oppose this idea, you are deemed un-American. The reality is that this money must come from somewhere, and that somewhere is you – the American taxpayer. In addition, every dollar that goes to the military is one less dollar that can go to infrastructure, or social services, or job growth, or lowering the debt. Perhaps, most importantly, lowering the taxes that the hard-working Americans are paying.

Let’s investigate the numbers that are always thrown around by people that don’t know the facts, like Mr. Reed. Yes, based only on the number of vessels our navy is about the same size as it was during World War I. But look at the difference in power that our modern navy can project. Does one 1920s battleship equal a modern aircraft carrier? One nuclear ballistic submarine has more firepower than the entire fleet in the First World War. Think about it in terms of your own life, would you rather drive a car of today or one from 1917? You would think that someone that works in an industry that didn’t even exist during World War I would understand about innovation and modernization.

Mr. Reed took this moment to say, I wrote the book on innovation and modernization, but I also know the biggest team usually wins the game.

President Francis stared at him in silence for a long, awkward moment, shaking her head. Finally, after a deep sigh, she began speaking directly into the camera. "Another fact Mr. Reed may not know is that the US spends more money on our military than the next ten countries combined. Even with that amount of money, we still have people like Mr. Reed saying it must be more. When is enough enough? When will we bring some fiscal responsibility to defense spending? In my first term I tried to at least hold the defense budget static, but Congress would not allow that to happen. They insisted that the budget be raised with no plan on where the money would come from. Members of Congress act like they are the heroes when they speak to their constituents about spending more tax dollars on the military. Meanwhile, the real heroes are not getting the right equipment and support they need to fight the current war, or to take care of our veterans. But when it comes to buying the latest billion dollar toy the military industrial complex has to offer Congress always says yes. We must control this problem."

Again, half the audience applauded while catcalls came from the other half. Mr. Crenshaw regained control by saying, We have now come to the last question of the debate, and it goes to you first Mr. Reed, what do you think is the cause of the division that seems so prevalent in America right now and what would you do to correct it?

Well Larry, there are many reasons for the division in this country. answered Reed. "One of the biggest is the liberal press making a big deal out of every little slight to someone. Stuff happens. Just because someone in Berkley, California, doesn’t get their way doesn’t mean it is national news. Certain news stations, and you know the ones I mean, must fill up their twenty-four-hour cycle with stories that fit their liberal agenda. Then they fan the flames of an isolated issue until they would have their viewers believe this will cause the downfall of democracy in this country.

"The newspapers are just as bad. Luckily, thanks to companies like mine, they are going the way of the dinosaurs. People in America are getting wise to the slant papers put on their stories, they only write what they want you to read; and God forbid they would write a positive story about some conservative cause.

"Another reason is that we have all these groups now that claim discrimination anytime they don’t get their way. Grow up! This should be a country where the majority rules. We can’t have construction projects stopped because two environmentalists get together and say it might cause a problem in the future. We can’t have cops afraid to do their job because some thug will sue if he gets pulled over. It’s time to get back to common sense in America and take care of the majority which is made up of good, decent, hardworking men and women and stop worrying about all these special interest groups that just bring this country down. These people have learned how to game the system and make American taxpayers pay for them to sit on their butts and complain.

"The division in this country is real, and the reason it is a topic now is because you have people like me willing to point it out and talk about it. In the past it wasn’t talked about because no one wanted to hurt someone’s feelings. Well, I don’t care about a murder’s feelings, or a deadbeat’s feelings. It’s time we corrected this problem and stop pretending it doesn’t exist.

Larry, you asked what I would do to correct the division, well its simple, I will unite all the people in this great country that want to help make it better. I will change the laws, so they help the God-fearing, hardworking people that make this country run. President Kennedy, another Democrat holding that office that couldn’t keep his libido in check, did one smart thing when he said, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.’ This not very veiled attack on former president Rich Francis sent social media into a frenzy, unprecedented for politics. Mr. Reed declared, For all those people out there that take more than they give to this country, let me say your party is over. It is time you pull you own weight, or it is time you leave.

For the longest time of the night Mr. Crenshaw lost control of the debate. The Reed supporters in the audience cheered and applauded like they were at a football game, while the Francis supporters booed and jeered. The division in America was on full display within the hall. In one case two combatants were escorted out by security. The Kennedy – Nixon debate in 1960, the first televised, would seem civilized, even courteous compared to what the viewers were seeing tonight.

Throughout the eruption President Francis stood behind her podium, shaking her head, with a scowl on her face, and eyes that radiated her hatred for Mr. Reed. One camera caught her white-knuckled grip on the lectern that was later referred to in the media as her death-grip. There was no doubt whose death she was contemplating.

In the meantime, Mr. Reed took this opportunity to move out from behind his podium with a huge grin on his face while giving another thumbs-up to the crowd. It was obvious to everyone in the hall and watching on TV that he was pleased with his ability to stir-up his flock.

Mr. Crenshaw made a halfhearted attempt at restoring order, but he knew this would be the most talked about moment of the debate. Finally, the audience seemed to realize that the show wasn’t over, and there might be even greater drama to come. The cacophony settled into a low hum, and Mr. Crenshaw, after motioning Mr. Reed back to his place, turned to President Francis and asked, What do you think divides America today and what will you do to correct it?

President Francis replied, Larry, the American people and the people around the world just got a good look at what divides this great country; demigods that prey upon the base instincts of individuals to encourage hatred and blame of groups that don’t think like they do. The president’s supporters applauded and cheered while Mr. Reed’s supporters booed. President Francis continued, Men like Billy Sunday, Joe McCarthy, and George Wallace have tried this scheme before. They attempt to get one side to believe that all their problems and all the evils in the world are caused by others who are different from them. Then they go on to spread lies and say the only way to get back to what they want is to get rid of those who don’t agree with them. This isn’t democracy this is fascism. This isn’t American this is Russian. Don’t let this happen in America in the twenty-first century – we are better than this. Learn from our past mistakes don’t repeat them. Again, the audience responded predictability.

President Francis, having hit upon a topic she was passionate about, forged ahead, "A segment of the news media have decided for ratings they are willing to join in and inflame all this rhetoric. Half-truths, innuendos, and outright lies are reported as facts – TV ratings are more important to them than truth. If it supports their side, they will put it on the air. If news doesn’t support their side, then they just ignore it or spin it.

"Another thing Mr. Reed got wrong was how our democracy works; yes, we have majority rule, but not at the expense of the minorities. Under our system all men are created equal, and their rights cannot be tread upon. Instead of making everything about us versus them, why can’t we work together to make this country great for all our citizens?

"I’m surprised, since Mr. Reed likes clichés so much, he didn't pull out that old chestnut from the sixties; love it or leave it. Didn’t we learn from that period that we need to listen to one another and find some common ground, and, furthermore, that it is okay for the people to question their government. Leaders must show this country how to come together, not move further apart. No one person, no one party, and certainly no one candidate has all the answers. All opinions must be listened to, then we must choose what we think is the best solution and proceed down that path. Thinking that our opinion is the only opinion leads to intolerance and strife. Two things that we do not need any more of in America.

I pledge to you that I will work with anyone, even the Republicans, in my second term, to bring America back together. Liberals, moderates, and conservatives; Blacks, browns, and whites; Muslims, Christians, and Jews; must all work together to achieve the greatness this country is capable of. We are a diverse country, and the sum of our varied parts is what makes us great. Even with our faults, America is still seen by the world as the land of opportunity. Don’t let fear mongers divide us any longer. Rise above their lies, hate, and ignorance, and show the world how great America can be.

This time it was the president’s supporters that delayed the proceedings with their outburst. Mr. Crenshaw tried to get control, but the audience settled down only when they were ready.

Once a semblance of order had returned, Mr. Crenshaw addressed the candidates, First I would like to thank both of you for such a spirited and interesting debate. You have given the pundits plenty to talk about. Normally, we would allow each of you a few last words, however, since all the audience participation we are out of time. This solicited some laughs and groans from the crowd. With that I would like to thank North Central College for allowing us to use their beautiful facilities, good night.

The two candidates left the stage as soon as the cameras went off, without shaking hands or even speaking to each other, which may be a first in presidential debates. Each received the obligatory pats-on-the-back and congratulations from their teams and supporters with President