Obvious in Hindsight by Bradley Tusk

Author:Bradley Tusk
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Regalo Press
Published: 2023-09-29T17:08:08+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

New York CITY

Firewall HQ

Lisa and Pinky are sitting in Firewall’s main conference room, talking to their pollster, Dennis Bennis. Bennis is the rare pollster who can both keep the client happy and deliver accurate numbers almost every time. Bennis is also a dead ringer for Philip Roth in his prime: big wireframe glasses, balding pate, tweed jacket.

“It’s all about the framing,” Bennis explains. “When we ask people if flying cars is a good idea in the face of all the opposition, they overwhelmingly say no. But when we ask whether we, as a society, should be able to think big enough to make dreams like flying cars a reality, eighty-seven percent say yes.” The charts showing what Bennis said pop up on the flatscreen monitor attached to the far wall.

“So it’s totally aspirational?” Pinky asks.

“Yes. But you want to pass these bills now, right? You don’t have a few years to build a brand.”

“We need this done in the next twelve weeks,” Lisa says. “Susan told her investors we’d be legal by then. I don’t know what actually happens if she misses the deadline, but she’s made it clear that if we don’t meet it, we won’t be around to find out the rest.”

“Then you need to show the voters that the future is already here.”

Lisa mutters thanks and walks out of the conference room. She turns to Pinky, who’s right on her heels. “Call all the local papers we’re funding. We need each of them to write that the technology for flying cars is already here so it’s a question of having the political will to move forward,” she tells him. “And once the clips start coming in, have the graphics team turn them into mailers and maybe some digital ads on Facebook.”

“Mailers? Really? Physical mailers? Don’t you mean digital ads and infographics? Who does mailers anymore?”

“Maybe some digital ads for Facebook. But the baby boomers still check their mailboxes. I want to rile up the elderlies. Get them marching on City Hall. You know, so we can help them actualize their childhood dreams. Like Bennis said. Put the future first.”

Pinky looks a little confused. “Uh huh. Actualize childhood dreams. But…I don’t know…do baby boomers really scream the future to you? Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t usually equate incontinence with cutting-edge technology.”

“Old people vote, Pinky,” Lisa says.

Pinky nods. “Got it. Okay. Let me run this all by Nick and we’ll be good to go.”

“Actually,” Lisa says, talking faster than her brain can keep up, “Nick is on board with all this. We’ve been texting.” She holds up her phone, like it’s proof.

Pinky furrows an eyebrow, as though he’s trying to remember if he saw Lisa texting. She’s playing a dangerous game, acting as if she has approval that she doesn’t, but she’s worried that if Nick gets his hands on this, he’s going to change or manipulate something to suit the needs of whatever game he’s playing.

And she just wants to do her fucking job.

“Got it,” Pinky says.

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