Chapter 26: Campaigning Begins
The next day, James was in his office. He had put up a big chart containing all the candidates for every district. He had convinced a popular celebrity to stand in every district. The Capital District had the most candidates. Most other districts had only two or three candidates.
His company, Yensid Media, was going to do the campaigning for all the celebrity candidates. He personally was going to advise Waldo. He had concerts and festivals planned in each district, as well as a massive celebration a few days before polling. He also had a live debate organised for one week before polling.
James sat down at his desk. He noticed a brown envelope had been placed at the end of his desk. He picked it up and was about to open it when the Hat Lady appeared.
‘It’s over for Joan,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘No funds to campaign. Her vote will be split with her friends. She’s currently suspected of attempting suicide. And there’s another little scandal in that envelope.’
James opened the envelope and began flipping through the photographs.
‘Oh, this is good,’ said James excitedly. ‘Nobody is going to vote for a chubby chaser.’
‘Really,’ said the Hat Lady angrily. ‘You see these photographs, and that is the first thought that goes through your head.’
‘I’ll publish these and let the voting public decide what they think,’ replied James as he grinned. ‘In all fairness, she wasn’t much of a threat anyway.’
‘Your arrogance is unreal,’ said the Hat Lady as she looked at James scornfully. ‘You forget. The public believes we are having these elections because of her protests. She also happens to be the only candidate with a brain.’
‘Okay, I understand,’ stammered James. ‘You did a great job.’
‘Don’t print these photographs yet,’ said the Hat Lady as she approached James. ‘Print them in the final week for maximum impact.’
‘Yes, I agree,’ said James.
‘I’m going to North for a few weeks,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘I’ll give you the blue juice today. That should keep you sufficiently... smart to handle the launch of the campaigns.’
‘I don’t see why you can’t just...' said James as she disappeared.
James became invisible for a few seconds and then reappeared.
‘Damn, that is difficult when you’re out of practice,’ said James as he held his head and grimaced slightly.
The next day, the campaigns began. The singers went on stage to perform shows in their district cities. The actors performed on stage in short plays promoting their candidacy. Ryan’s highlights from the Grand Final were shown. This was followed by a song from Saliyah in which she professed her love for her husband and her admiration for his strength. Waldo was at the studios. He was interviewed for his campaign video titled, ‘It’s in my blood’. Joan and Sally made some basic placards, posters, and banners.
A few days later, James visited Waldo in his palace office to discuss election strategy and his upcoming speech.
‘James,’ said Waldo firmly, ‘I’m not happy about the promotion Ryan is receiving on your networks.’
‘It’s not ideal, I admit,’ said James, shrugging his shoulders. ‘However, I can’t deny him the opportunity to campaign. Some might consider that biased. Even a form of election rigging.’
‘These election rules are annoying,’ said Waldo as he folded his arms.
‘If we want to cement you as the greatest leader of all time,’ said James, ‘these elections must be perceived as fair. Besides, why would anyone vote for a banged-up Pound Ball player over the great Waldo?’
‘You’re bang on,’ said Waldo as he thumped his chest with enthusiasm. ‘Let them dance. Let them sing. None of that means they can run a district. Even the common fool on the street can see that.’
‘Oh, they absolutely can,’ said James. ‘Yesterday, I ran a simple poll. Every respondent said they would vote for you.’
Waldo clapped his hands in excitement.
‘I’m dedicated to showing them the best of Waldo the Third,’ said James confidently. ‘I’ve even come up with a campaign slogan.’
‘Oh, you gotta tell me,’ said Waldo excitedly.
‘Sure,’ said James as he extended his arms out above his head. ‘It is: “Vote for me. I’m better than you.” It’s short, to the point, true, and something everyone can see.’
‘That’s brilliant!’ said Waldo as he pumped both fists in the air. ‘It fits perfectly with the theme of my campaign video.’
‘I’m also working on a poster and cover for that video,’ said James. ‘I was thinking we could take a photograph of you standing on a tall podium looking majestic. Below you, everyone else is standing in admiration of your brilliance.’
‘I like that a lot,’ said Waldo, nodding. ‘I suggest that some of them are bowing before me.’
‘Fantastic idea,’ said James excitedly.
‘What did you expect!’ exclaimed Waldo as he raised his head in pride. ‘I’m Waldo, born of the greatest bloodline that ever existed.’
The next day, Joan and Sally were out on the streets waving their placards and speaking through a megaphone. They stopped at a spot in the city park where they could be observed clearly from a reasonable distance from all directions. Joan and Sally began their speeches. They alternated every 15 minutes. They talked about promoting equality, preserving the environment, promoting small businesses and entrepreneurs, freedom of speech, and growing democratic practices in all aspects of life.
Soon, they attracted a small following. After about an hour, a large crowd had gathered. They started chanting Joan’s and Sally’s names. This did not last long. Loud music began blaring out. It was Ryan’s open-top campaign bus. Saliyah was on the top deck. She began singing her new song as the bus moved slowly past the park. The crowd ran after the bus, calling out for Saliyah. Joan and Sally were left with nobody.
‘Is that what this is all about?!’ said Sally, sounding sad. ‘Just fanfare and then more fanfare.’
‘We keep going,’ said Joan as she put her arm around Sally. ‘We will break through to them. Our best shot will be the debate. We’ll run circles around Ryan and Waldo.’
‘Yes, we will! Yes, we will!’ shouted Julia as she charged towards them. She had plastered dozens of posters all over her body.
Sally and Joan turned towards each other and shrugged their shoulders.
Sapien Loop: End of an Era
Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time is the sequel to the book Sapien Loop: End of an Era. Sapien Loop: End of an Era is available on Amazon, in collection series on my @spectrumecons account, and in individual chapters in my @captainhive account.
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