Senator Ted Marshall’s impromptu question-and-answer session at the airport was with the random young Latino reporter from Coral Gables. It was planned perfectly. The young man’s attire was perfect, an expensive pinstriped suit, nicely starched button-down white shirt, and a striped red and blue tie. His haircut was perfect too, not styled short to look controlled, but instead a stylish preppy cut. His approach and questions were pre-cleared, and he asked them perfectly.
“Good morning, Mr. Senator…may I have a few minutes of your time…to ask a few questions regarding your economic recovery policies?” the young reporter yelled out just as the senator was exiting the VIP lounge to board his plane. There were other reporters there, higher up on the totem pole, but this one was staged.
On cue, Ted eyed the young Latino, checked his watch to appear rushed, and then eyed his press secretary. It was one of those scripted displays of transparency that the conservatives needed so badly years before, and now was the face of the Red State Party. And the eyes said it all, for the camera to pick up. Let’s be kind to this young fella from South Florida. After all, it’s no longer a swing state and they’re trying to do the right thing. It’s so nice to finally have the Latino vote. I remember the time when you couldn’t get the press to report the conservative stories, much less a Latino…real or staged. Times have certainly changed.
After a quick affirmative from the press secretary, Ted stopped and gave the young reporter his sole attention. “Absolutely, I think we have time for a few questions,” he spoke softly. “What paper are you with?”
“My name is Manuel Sanchez, Mr. Senator, and I work for the Miami Herald.”
“Well, Manuel, I like the Herald…so fire away.”
“How important is the fast-approaching vote on the Recovery Stabilization Act extension?”
“As you know, Manuel, the Recovery Stabilization Act was written with time limits,” said the senator, beginning his spiel quickly and confidently. “After ten years of resounding economic success, it is now up for a five-year extension. Ten years ago, fifteen national economic recovery reform zones were created; now we’re down to five. If extension of the Act is passed, then the House and Senate have reached an agreement to fast-track Colorado Spring’s Track-61, Baltimore-Fells Point, and the Providence-Upper South off the list. These zones will quickly return to normalcy. However, Miami-South Beach will take a little longer…depending on how well the others go, and….”
Ted paused for a few seconds before ending his point. “Cincinnati will be extended for five more years.”
Ted paused for a few more seconds, gave the reporter his best profile so the honest eyes, to which so many pundits credited his success, were carefully captured. Then he focused squarely on the camera in front of him, and gave his “follow-me” appeal. Any time there was discussion of the Constitution, things could get messy. U.S. Senator Ted Marshall spoke his next points very carefully, like it hurt him just to say the words. “Let me make this clear. We are all Americans, and we were all victims of the 2015 Black Crash. And we want all of our Constitutional rights back, the way they were written by our Founding Fathers. But this is the best we can do under the current circumstances. The Red State leadership believes it is in the best interest of the American people to extend this Act. That said…I assure you that the vote next week will pass, so let me explain why this vote is so important for South Florida. The answer is political crime and corruption are at their lowest level since 2008; people are working again, and our borders are secured. Our dependency on imported natural resources has dropped, and we’re no longer held hostage by Middle East oil. We have clean energy, and our national lands are still protected. We’re human, Manuel. We don’t destroy, we protect. And, last but not least, Americans are again taxed at 2008 levels, and these levels will continue to go down…if we stay on the right path to recovery and the leftover in Washington, D.C., stay out of our way. We simply cannot turn back now. The Red State leadership believes that, and polls show that a majority of the nation believes it too.”
“Mr. Senator, you say that political crime is down in South Florida and immigration is no longer an issue, but people in South Florida are also concerned about our own recovery. Can you assure the people of South Florida that we will be treated like the rest of the South? We can’t wait much longer to begin our recovery.”
“Manuel, I am here today to say to everyone in South Florida that the Red State Government will do everything possible and under the law to ensure everyone benefits from this recovery. But this great state also has to be protected from the political troublemakers who are still out there trying to derail everything we’ve accomplished. Those people don’t care about your security, and they don’t care about your economic recovery. For that reason, we must close the Miami-South Beach zone carefully. More must be done before that begins.
“Now, that said, let me tell you what we will do to prepare for the vote. First, Statute Seven of the Recovery Stabilization Act calls for key national security policies to kick in six hours prior to the vote. This means movement in and out of all of South Beach will cease; all cell communications will be disabled; movement elsewhere in South Florida will be closely monitored; and, of course, military personnel will be stationed at key points throughout Miami. Any additional security procedures will be implemented on state or local levels.”
“And…how are you monitoring state borders…for the other National Reform Zone?”
“I’m sorry, what border?”
“The northern border.”
“Which national economic recovery reform zone are you referring to?” Another on-cue response, this one meant to voice Kentucky-Ohio specifics.
“I am referring to the Cincinnati National Reform Zone, Mr. Senator.”
“The security situation is a little more complex in Ohio. As you are aware, terrorist attacks are still frequent in the zone, even though the last few months have been quiet. It is not safe for any side at the moment. However, I can say that the same Red State security procedures will be implemented on the Kentucky side. In Ohio, the Blue State leadership is responsible for its own security. We will work with its side as needed, but we want people to know…if the folks running the Blue State Security Authority need our assistance, they must ask for it. Ohio is still a blue state and still autonomous from federal security intervention. Cincinnati is a different story, and as I’m sure you understand, if problems spill over into Kentucky, we will go in there to ensure civil order. We will not sit idle and let the situation get out of control.”
Ted looked over at his press secretary to make sure the script was delivered as needed. The nonverbal answer from the press secretary was confirmed. As the senator waited for his third and final question, the press secretary took the liberty of adding the rest privately, this time whispering in the reporter’s ear. “This is off the record, but make sure Senator Marshall’s message to the American people is clear—if the situation in Cincinnati becomes violent, whatever happens will be on them.”
The reporter nodded and then continued. “Mr. Senator, may I ask you one last question?”
“Yes, Manuel; I have time for one more.”
“Mr. Senator, when will talks begin regarding the elimination of the State Powers Act?”
I can’t believe we wasted this young man’s third and final question on this, the senator thought as he prepared to answer. To him, it was a stupid question, but one that needed to be answered, and done so forcefully. He gave his long, canned answer verbatim. “Let me be clear about this, Manuel; Americans were shocked after they discovered that our own leaders, people we trusted, had a role in the Black Crash. But we shouldn’t have been surprised about anything. Washington was so big no one had a clear understanding of the financial hole we had dug…growing debt, out-of-control spending, big government, borrowing, and quantitative easing by printing money we’ll never pay back. We knew it would all end one day; we just expected, hoped, it would happen later. But progressives wouldn’t wait; they had to see our demise quicker. These so-called leaders, people we trusted, were nothing more than terrorists, and they’re still out there. It is still hard to understand why people would outright want such devastation of our great nation. But one only has to understand the underlying premise of transformational politics, of which intolerance and silence are the rules of play. All-out chaos is the end game, and that all-out chaos ultimately transforms a nation. We, as a nation, did much of this to ourselves…because we stopped watching, and we stopped caring enough to fight back. We let debt spiral out of control. We let the government take control from the people, and we voted for the wrong people. Even with all our grand technology and advancement, all those great speeches on equality and goodwill toward all men, the right side of history, and the exuberant spending that was somehow going to make us all feel better, we turned into wasteful, mindless fools. We knew where we were heading, but we were too selfish to care. It took something to slap us back into shape. There is a reason why 2008-2018 has been dubbed “The Lost Years,” and 2019-2029, “The Great Recovery.” Our policies are not difficult to understand. It’s called “tough love” and it’s not going away. The American people are back in charge, and we are not going to let this great nation down. We have suffered enough.”
Ted paused before ending his unusually long spiel. “There is no time limit on the State Powers Act, and the country agrees…that’s a 90 percent approval rating, Manuel. No one in his right mind wants to go back to large, incompetent, Washington, D.C., again. This law to dismantle Washington, D.C. will never be repealed.”
And with that said, Ted proceeded to close the interview. “Will that be it, Manuel? I have a plane to catch.”
That was supposed to be the end, but Manuel had his own question to ask. “And…Mr. Senator, your daughter….”
Ted stopped and turned abruptly. “What about my daughter?” Panic rushed through his body. Such a nice, educated Latino kid, and he’s trying to throw me under the bus. Why?
“Your daughter is now out of high school and planning for her future. What are her thoughts about the government’s Red-Blue State separation policy and the dispersion of federal agencies across the South?”
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