Talk by Michael A Smerconish

Author:Michael A Smerconish
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cider Mill Press

CHAPTER 10

So odd was the inconsequential way in which Susan and I had parted at Delrios, that I wasn’t sure whether I’d ever hear from her again, much less when. Obviously she was busy. Heading into Super Tuesday, Tobias had won Florida and Colorado like Susan predicted. Baron had won Nevada, and the two of them had split a few additional states, namely Minnesota (Tobias), Maine (Baron), Arizona (Tobias), and Michigan (Baron). President Summers had won virtually all of the Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina votes because new ballots couldn’t be printed in time, and he was now promising that his delegates would be released at the convention in August. Ambassador Brusso was proving to be irreverent in the debates but a nonstarter at the polls. And at the rate they were going, I doubted whether congressmen Foley and Yih would last to see their own state’s primaries in Pennsylvania and California, respectively. Their only role was that of potential spoiler if they lasted that long, but all seemed to be enjoying the limelight. Ditto for Senator Wrigley, who if she took Vermont on Super Tuesday, would count it as her only win.

On the Republican side, Governor James won his home state of Colorado as predicted and was getting a free ride from the media whose members both genuinely liked him and wanted to make sure that Margaret Haskel didn’t wrap up the entire nomination before they could milk their advertisers. A good underdog story was always a winner. But while the mainstream media built up James every chance it could, it didn’t go too hard on Haskel for fear that they’d help elect one of what I was privately calling the “triple threat” of Figuera, Redfield and Lewis.

Phil and I had strong disagreements about how to handle Wynne James, who was the surprise candidate in the field. While his competitors concentrated on Michigan and Arizona, he’d focused on Minnesota and pulled an upset. And where Figuera, Redfield and Lewis couldn’t win, they were denying Haskel a blowout and put James in second position.

“He’s in second position, Phil,” I argued. “I’ve had virtually every other candidate on recently, why not him?”

“Nobody who would vote for him matters to you, Stan. Your P1s are a combination of Haskel, Redfield, Lewis and Figuera voters. Take any of the four anytime they’ll do your show. You cannot lose with any of them. They are walking sound bytes who will say what your listeners want to hear. But James is a RINO. I’d rather you go kiss Tobias’ ass again than welcome him with open arms.”

“And where am I if James pulls a Romney, Phil? You and I know that the only way Mitt won the nomination is that Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachman, and Herman Cain were all trying to out-credential one another with their conservative bona fides. And Romney slipped in. If it happens again and I’ve treated this guy like shit, where am I?”

“That’s not happening. There aren’t enough country clubbers left in the party to enable this guy.

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