The Governor of Florida sat at the front center table, and as the crowd stood in approval, Ted’s eyes connected with his. After the speech, Ted quickly made his way over to talk. “Governor Starks, I’m so glad you could make it tonight. What a great turnout. Your state is looking good.”
“Yes, it is,” the governor replied while offering a heavy handshake. “Florida is no longer a swing state…I am certain about that, and it will not go back to being one. Even on a Sunday, we can pack these venues like never before. We can pack rooms 24/7 every day of the week; after the vote, if it goes as expected, we’ll have to move someplace larger.”
“Not too much larger,” Ted replied. “You remember all those zombie gatherings back in the day; the anointed one in the White House said, ‘Come, my followers, and hear me speak. Come and hear me tell you how rotten your country is, and then bow down.’ We don’t want those kinds following us. People need to learn to think first, on their own, understand their options, and then decide to do the right thing. Wrong choices have bad consequences. They need to understand basic life.”
The governor just cackled a bit and then offered his own option. He understood the real meaning behind Ted’s words. Size and numbers don’t matter. Unprecedented gatherings only showcased how largely ignorant our nation was back then. It is the message that matters, and a big part of that is the messaging. “Maybe one day we can bring back social media.”
“Social media will only work for us if we bully them like they bullied us. The young people will never truly understand how vulnerable they are…when the only thing they know is crap coming out of Hollywood and Manhattan. Social media only spreads their shit around…so I wouldn’t count on seeing Twitter again anytime soon. Those days are also gone.”
The governor didn’t reply, and Ted was eager to move on to more important subjects. “So, Governor…what are your thoughts on opening up more trade routes?” Ted asked next. “My colleagues in Washington are anxious to know when we’ll be ready to open up new partnerships. Will we be ready soon?”
“I think we can do that, Ted,” the governor replied. “Exports out of the National Tampa Port Authority have doubled over the last three years, and we’re looking for a 30 percent increase next year if the market continues to rebound in Brazil.”
“And what about the other port authorities?” Ted asked.
“Jacksonville’s numbers are a little lower,” the governor answered. “As you know, the Euro Zone was hit even harder than we were. But overall, we’ve stuck with the agenda…a dollar of exports for a dollar of imports. I think your Senate colleagues will be pleased with the way things are moving.”
“That is super. I’m sure they will be pleased. But eventually, we have to deal with Orlando,” the senator replied. “I know the numbers aren’t improving; I want to know why.”
“The National Orlando Port Authority is a different animal,” said the governor. He paused before continuing. “We’ve replaced the Authority’s Deputy Secretary three times in the past five years. The export numbers are still extremely low compared to the other two.”
“They should be,” the senator replied. “These are exports to Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. We’ve never had good numbers in those regions.”
“Exports aren’t the problem. Imports from Asia are increasing again. China is pushing for a bilateral next year, or else. We can’t increase imports from Turkey and Jordon unless we cut back numbers for Korea and Japan.”
“What the hell does ‘or else’ mean?” The senator shot back in return to the China dilemma. “I will call and tell them myself if I have to. They need to be reminded that, unlike the old days, they no longer have a say in how we balance our trade.”
Ted wanted to vent a lot more than just point a finger back at Beijing. The United States is not the same country China kicked around right after the Crash. Our debt is paid; the Hawaiian Islands are theirs; WTO was abolished; and we no longer have a U.S. Trade Representative selling our companies out and signing deals to shut down our manufacturing jobs here. Bottom line…no one in Washington or Geneva, Switzerland, is going to tell America how and whom we trade with. Those days are over. Beijing didn’t come to our rescue in 2015; it just plopped the bill down and ordered us to pay up. We can do whatever we please, so for the near-term, we’re going to continue taking care of our friends. Right now, China is not one of them.
“I think, Ted, the or else means they may go back to manipulating their exchanges rates again,” the governor answered, a short answer for such a highly complicated history. “They know this would impact trade with others in the region. They just want to control the markets.”
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