chapterFour
thePrimaryAndVictoryDay
Jeremiah Issachar had come a long way from his early beginnings in Northern California. He met Dr. Joseph Hocks, Horace Jenkins and now he’s a candidate for the most prestigious jobs in the United States of America.
Every step of his whirlwind campaign was orchestrated from powers above. Even the Democratic Party’s hierarchy had little to say where or when Issachar was to appear somewhere throughout the country. On this particular day the team was in Denver and it was the seventh city in eight days. Jeremiah felt like a puppet and often complained.
“Juan, when do I see my family? When do I get to go to MacDonald’s and get a burger? My son doesn’t know what I look like accept what he sees on TV…. I don’t know if all this stuff is worth it.”
Juan was lost in his own thoughts while reading the ‘Wall Street Journal’. He looked up from the paper and asked, “Sir, did you say something? I can’t believe what that crazy Seller is saying about you. He knows too much about….. What the h…….!!!”
“Juan, did you even hear what I said? What’s he saying about me now? He knew too much about me months ago. Where’s he getting all this stuff?”
“I think I know how…but I don’t know how to stop it. I think your w…….”
“Watch yourself, Juan. I hope you’re teasing me. Are trying to upset me on purpose?”
The campaign manager threw down the newspaper and got up from his chair, “Enough of this. We have to meet Horace in two days in Boston, and we have to submit two or three speeches to him for approval. This primary is easy. It’s later on….It’s going to get tough. We will know the GOP candidate then. We have to dig up some dirt, really dirty stuff. Come on, Jeremiah, we have to get busy.”
Issachar sat quietly for a couple of minutes in thinking posture and then he quipped, “Juan, I’m still concerned about Julie and you never mention her….Is she still in this race or are they……?”
Meanwhile, back in San Jose, Abby was in a quandary of her own. Jose Lopez, Jeremiah’s biological father, had called her several times and asked if he could see Josh. The elder Lopez had only seen his grandson one time since Josh was born. Jose even told Abby he would go to the press, if he had to, about this situation.
Abigail thought Jose Lopez sounded very serious, so she called Juan to inform him of the problem. Issachar’s assistant did not immediately respond to Abby’s call due to their tight schedule on the campaign trail. As they flew over Iowa late one evening Juan returned her call.
“Abby, what’s troubling you?......Jose is back in the picture……I thought we took care of that………..OK, he cannot see Josh…neither can he go to the press….I’ll need to talk to Horace about this, soon……..I know it’s been a long time……I know…..Go out with someone, secretly….Not to a public place, please…..The press will….Be discreet. I’ll take care of the rest……I’ll tell him to call you…and Josh. Bye.”
Juan whispered to himself, “Got to snuff this one in the bud. Horace, where are you when I need you?”
Surprisingly, the press, right or left, had not picked up on the story of Jeremiah Issachar’s drunken father, José Lopez. Maybe the media was paid off or they just didn’t care, but Jose wanted a stake in this presidential bid of his son. Others who had more at risk did not want him anywhere near it.
Shortly after Abby’s conversation with Juan, Jose Lopez left for the home of his parents near Mexico City. Some say he returned to his homeland, rich. Others say he will not be seen again. Jeremiah was told that is biological father was deported and returned to his birth place in Mexico to join his elderly parents.
The next day Jeremiah sat quietly contemplating in Dr. Joseph Hock’s office when Dr. Hock walked into the room. “Jerry, what did I do to deserve this honor? Aren’t you really busy right now? And in Boston, wow!!”
“Doctor, I ….. I need some help. This campaign is driving me crazy. I haven’t seen Josh or Abby in weeks….Juan is…..Juan and Horace …Today, believe it or not …I snuck away from security and Juan. We are meeting with Horace if a few hours .…..My…..Dad is…….I will tell you , but we need to go somewhere else.”
“I don’t know what to say…Yes, we’ll go…..Where?”
“Crazy stuff going on……We should go separately……I’ll meet you at our usual place.”
“Oh, yes, that’ll be fine. Let’s go”
Jeremiah looked both ways down the hallway before he hustled to the first available elevator. When he arrived at the first floor of Dr. Hock’s office building, he walked nonchalantly toward the main exit. Issachar hurried down the street a few blocks and waited for his friend at a little café and bar. Five minutes later Hock arrived, and he sat in a booth with Jeremiah.
The two gentlemen had talked for several minutes when a large limousine pulled up and parked near the door of the bar. Jeremiah immediately hurried out of the building and quickly climbed into the vehicle. The limousine drove swiftly away.
The next morning, Juan Garcia and Jeremiah Issachar met with Horace Jenkins in a high rise office building in downtown Boston. They gave the billionaire two speeches they prepared for his approval and waited for further instruction. Horace seemed to be really distracted, and he halted the meeting.
Jenkins picked up his phone as Jeremiah and Juan were ushered out the door and into an adjoining office.
As they left the room they heard Horace say, “Get rid of her somehow, now.”
As they sat down in a small office, frustrated Issachar asked Juan, “Ok, Juan, what’s going on? What is Horace’s problem right now? Are we through here?”
“Why so many questions? I can’t tell you anything at all. In fact, I don’t even know what this phone call was all about, either. We have to pull many strings to pull this whole thing off and Horace has people to answer to, like we do.”
“What do you mean by ‘strings’?”
“Don’t worry about it. Just do what you are told and we will know in a few minutes what we are to do next.”
The two friends sat quietly for a few minutes then Juan’s private cell phone rang. He quickly answered it, “Yes,……We are still here. …..We can handle that……………OK, I guess…….. He needs to know………We will be there in twenty minutes….OK…See you.”
“What, Juan? …Now what?”
“Shut up! Let’s go!! We’ve got twenty minutes to get downtown.”
Juan grabbed his own brief case and then grabbed Jeremiah’s arm. They hurriedly left the room and headed toward the elevator. Near the office building’s front door a limo waited for them. Juan opened the door for Jeremiah and got in behind him.
The driver took them to a beautiful Victorian style mansion just outside of Boston. The driver exited first and opened the door for Juan and Issachar.
Jeremiah asked Juan, “Where are we? What am I supposed to do once I’m inside?”
“More questions….Let’s get inside. They are waiting for us.”
Juan began dragging Issachar toward the large double doors which stood open waiting for them to enter. Jeremiah stopped in his tracks.
“Juan, tell me where I am and what I am doing here.”
Juan turned around quickly, and stared directly at Jeremiah. He gave him a frustrated look. The campaign manager pulled Issachar aside and whispered, “Jerry, we are at Senator Romos’ house. He wants to visit with you. Don’t worry I’ll answer most of the questions. You just look presidential. Now, straighten your suit and fix your tie….and put you head back and let’s go, Mr. President.”
Issachar did what he was told and followed Juan into the house. He met the Senator and they sat down to have a casual chat.
Just like he had told Issachar earlier, Juan answered most of the Senator’s questions. There were very few personal questions for Jeremiah, until the very end of the conversation.
The Senator asked, “So, Senator,….Can I call you Jerry…..How’s your wife doing? With your son and all. When will we meet them? I’m anxious to have our future first lady to meet my wife and the other Senator’s wives.”
Jeremiah looked at Juan and Juan looked back and nodded his head, then the State Senator said, “She…He..is fine. I will get them to Washington to meet with you and your colleagues soon… and, of course, your wives. She is doing well. I’ll tell her you were asking of her.”
“That would be great…I’ll be looking forward to our meeting at the Capital someday soon.” The Senator stood and Juan and Jeremiah followed suit, and were escorted to the door.
They said their goodbyes, they began to leave, and the Senator called back, “By the way, Senator, Julie Pride is out. You are the nominee…You can celebrate that tonight.”
Jeremiah and Juan looked at each other with a surprised look and Issachar asked whispering, “What? Now what? Where are we going, now? I’m tired…and I need to see my wife back in California.”
“In due time, Jerry...in due time. I know nothing about Julie but we will…soon I assume….Now we are heading to the hotel room and then flying to Denver and on to California. I’m assuming Horace will be in Denver, but not sure, right now. He’s got to fix up some stuff…..You’ll find out later.”
“I’m always going to find out stuff later….This is really frustrating..We are just lying to the public and the media, anyway ….Why not let me know?….I know how to lie.”
“The fewer lies you know the better, Jerry. That way the media doesn’t get them out of you by accident like that stupid Vice President, Boudin. He is a mess.. .Don’t quote me on that one.”
“I just need to rest and then see Abby …for more reasons than one.”
“I know, buddy….I understand. That’s why I’m not married.”
The two friends laughed as they arrived at their hotel. Issachar, with his security, went to his room and Juan went to the bar, alone.
Immediately on getting to his room, Jeremiah secretly found his personal, un-tracked cell phone, and called his wife. He talked to Josh and told them both that he would probably be home the next day or day after. They seemed pleased to hear this. When he hung up, he made another private call.
Meanwhile in the bar, Juan was drinking with the ladies and having fun doing it. Later in the early morning, he got back to his room but he wasn’t alone.
The primary campaign, other than the early drama with Jeremiah’s real dad, went effortless after Julie Pride dropped out of the race.
Jeremiah was constantly frustrated with his schedule and the great run around he got all the time from Horace and Juan, but he was pleased with the results and the prestige he received when being nominated by the Democrat Party as their candidate. He began thinking that maybe he could be president.
It was a very hot summer and early fall of traveling and campaigning. The Issachar team trekked from California to Maine and from Florida to Washington and everywhere in between. Abigail and Josh loved the notoriety and fame but hated being away from their home in California. Jeremiah and Abigail did not spend much time together as a couple.
“Jerry, when are we going to be able to go home and sleep in our own bed and…you know just have some fun. Josh and I are tired of this….sh……..We are tired. I need you….Not the presidency.”
“But, Abby…I..I’m needed to change this nation. To bring social equality….to get power back to us…We are the minority…The blacks and Latinos and the Native Americans ….We need our rights….The Filipinos .. and Koreans…the gays…We need our rights. Besides, Horace has me over a barrel…I pretty much have to do what he says….or I di…… like my partners and a few others whom I will not mention.”
“He has that much control over you. I…I never realized….We are stuck?”
“But, baby, listen for a second….He has control, yes….but we will have all the money we need for anything we want. He’s already put a million in an account for me….and you.. and Josh. I get to use it when…I’m elected.”
“Jerry, that all sounds great….but what if….? He gets tired of you…or you aren’t exactly what he wants?”
“I’ve thought of that. I’ve even asked Juan. I know a lot of what is happening even though Juan tries to keep it from me…I have my guys all around…I can…let’s say make it uncomfortable for Horace and some of his minions. Babe, we will be alright…Stick with me.”
“Well, I did say that I would stick with you the day we got married…..but his is very dangerous stuff you are working with…and becoming the President…..I don’t know…Can you handle it….being the President?”
“I’ll be fine…Horace has arranged my cabinet already….A bunch of Communists and Muslim Brotherhood who can help me shape all this social and economical change. They know what to do. We are going to shake this world up….Horace has laid out some of the plan to me. You will see and be pleased.”
“Let’s quit talking and let’s do what we came here to do in the first place..I’m not a politician but I am your lover.”
Jeremiah Issachar’s opponent from the Republican Party was a highly touted Governor from Texas, Joseph L. Fergeson, who had long been a promoter of constitutional values and a born again Christian. Jeremiah, through his tutors and mentors, had learned to hate these same values so it was easy for him to find nasty things to say about his opponent. Every day the rhetoric got worse and worse.
Fergeson’s staff would find some dirt on Issachar, and Jeremiah and the media, which was ‘owned’ by Horace Jenkins, would turn around the same story and make the Governor, look like the bad guy.
Even though the polls were fairly close it didn’t seem that way when you watch the major TV and cable networks. Already in place, throughout many of the swing states, was a network of volunteers, ready to create literal, as well as, physiological havoc on Election Day.
Ohio, California and several other states’ liberal majority had in place a plan for wide spread and undetected voter fraud. Hundreds of dead citizens, still on the voter’s roll on Election Day, would have a vote cast for them by a close relative. As a result, many voters voted multiple times for Jeremiah Issachar.
By the end of the day on the second Tuesday in November, Issachar had won the popular vote by five percentage points and the electoral with just two states carrying him over the mark.
There was rejoicing in Sacramento where Jeremiah and his family celebrated. Fergeson, back in Dallas, Texas and the Republican leaders called the election foul play. Many Conservatives and independent voters from all over the nation questioned the results of this election but to no avail.
The Supreme Court was called into settle the dispute and to investigate the voting abnormalities. Out of nowhere and influenced by political powers, the charges were not investigated and the high court threw the case out.
Jeremiah Issachar, his wife Abigail Issachar, and son, Josh stood on inauguration day before the American people as the first family of the United States. Behind the newly elected president stood Horace Jenkins and Jeremiah’s mentor Dr. Joseph Mocks. Juan, the president’s best friend was nowhere to be found. Little did the America know, what was really going on inside the cover
