I realize that I'm finally able to sell people on my vision for the whole country, and it feels good. This is what I've always wanted.
And to top it off, I'm winning over Bob Walker's hometown crowd.
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I'm being honest with them. I'm delivering the facts to them. I'm giving them the truth. Nothing is sugarcoated.
And because of that, it's a sweet victory.
"So remember," I say, wrapping everything up in a nice, neat package, "for the biggest gains, believe in Austin Bain!"
People are on their feet now, clapping and smiling, and loving it. They can see that I truly care about the future of this country, and I couldn't be happier. In fact, I'm feeling lighter than a helium balloon.
A chant erupts, "Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!"
Victory. Sweet victory.
I walk off of the stage, and look for Tracy and Ashley. I immediately see them waiting for me in the wings.
"Nice job," Ashley smiles, wrapping her arms around me and giving me a tight hug.
"Yeah, you really won that tough crowd over," Tracy agrees.
"So, good news," Ashley beams. "The school tour was a success!"
"That's great," I smile, giving her another hug. "Tell me all about it."
"Well, I really connected with both the parents and the teachers. It all felt so natural," Ashley says. She's so happy that she's glowing. "And the last I looked, both social media and the press are reacting favorably."
Tracy pulls out her phone and scans through her Twitter feed. "The hashtag #GainWithBain is trending nation wide," she smiles. "Listen to some of these tweets. One man tweeted, 'What r u waiting for? MOVE. We need jobs NOW #GainWithBain.' And here's another one: 'Keep speaking the truth. Thank you Mr. President #GainWithBain.'"
"Sounds like you've really made a positive impression," Ashley winks at me.
"I can say the same about you," I reply with a grin.
Tracy looks up at us both and says, "You two make a great team—that's for sure, but I'm still worried about antagonizing Bob Walker. He's not going to be happy about all of this. In fact, I can picture him staring red-faced at the headlines."
"I'm not worried about Walker," I say. "I've always told you that man was full of steam. Nothing more."
"I'm not so sure, Austin," Tracy says. "You shouldn't underestimate him. He still has a very large pool of supporters that we can't ignore. I mean it."
"I know," I say. "Believe me, I know he has supporters of his own—and a lot of them, but there's no way Walker will be able to afford to piss off voters."
"That's true," Tracy nods, but I can see a hint of worry etched into her face. I wonder if she's holding something back.
I know she's right. I can never get too comfortable.
Tracy looks down at her phone and checks the time. "You two better get to the airport—quick. Your flight leaves in less than an hour. And whatever you do, don't forget about tonight. You have a fundraising dinner to attend."
Ashley and I give Tracy our word that we won't forget the dinner, and before we know it, we are back in the presidential limo, en route to the airport.
Ashley places her hand in mine. And I smile as I slide into the cool leather of the seat and think to myself, so this is what victory feels like.
23
Washington Beat
Dynamic Duo!
From the desk of Margie Preston – our political reporter and lately, resident dating expert
When they say two heads are better than one, they aren’t joking. The dynamic duo of Ashley Draper and Austin Bain already seems to be paying dividends for the country.#p#分页标题#e#
Don’t get me wrong. I’m still crushing over the Chief Executive of America, Inc. His fine body and gorgeous physique. But I also want to see him succeed in his mission to Make America Tremendous Again and it looks like he’s doing that quite well with help from his fiancée.
“Women used to be the bane of President Bain,” an anonymous source from inside the White House commented to me. “But lately, with just one woman, he’s able to get the country to focus with laser sharp precision on the issues that it needs to tackle head on.”
This ability to focus on issues and get them sorted has been evidenced just as early as yesterday when Speaker of the House Bob Walker, in his quest to be the thorn in the President’s side, was cast a crushing defeat. The President and future First Lady arrived in Walker’s home state, and delivered a large town hall style meeting. The First Lady also got in a tour of some schools with some comments to the press.