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Chapter 15
“Where did this guy come from
Clancy?” Hughes Foster, the
very tall democratic speaker of the house was very commanding in voice and
presence. He earned his
position of speaker of the house by intimidation, and knew how to play by
the old school rules. He used
and kept information for his political and personal agenda, keeping his
own record squeaky clean by using others to do his not so honorable deeds.
He always got the answers he wanted to hear by flexing this shear
power and muscle that he had, and had his sights set on the next
presidential election. The
sixth year of the current two term President’s time was approaching,
pretty much a lame duck in most all efforts at this point.
“I know as much as you Mr. Foster sir.”
Clancy Brown, Mr. Foster’s assistant was a black man.
He came from an economically poor area of
Mississippi
, and worked his way into the political arena through hard work and a
college education. Clancy’s
college degree was the first degree earned throughout all the past
generations of his family. His
great, great, grandfather was a slave, and was freed after the Civil War
from the cotton fields of northern
Mississippi
. Clancy’s family has since
worked as servants in different rolls for pay, as his father instilled in
him the integrity in that roll, or any roll they had in life.
An uneducated servant is a poor position to have, but a highly
intelligent and helpful servant in any place can influence decisions.
Clancy’s father would know. “Be
sure to hold the highest in regard to yourself in any roll, the real
determining factor in success. Have
integrity, reflect integrity”, as he would always say.
Clancy’s father was a restroom attendant at a golf club.
He was determined to make sure that Clancy did not have that same
fate, but was actually far more successful than anyone could see.
He actually liked his job a lot and it showed.
His restroom at the Golf clubhouse was immaculate, smelled and
looked pristine. He was very
proud. He stood with such
stature in his crisp black suit with bow tie at that pair of sinks, with
the pure white linen towel draped over his arm.
He gave everyone dignity as they walked in.
He made them feel special no matter if it was an “Old Golf Club
Member”, or a naive young bright eyed guest that was there for a
member’s company meeting. He
had stories of the policies he had influenced in that golf club restroom,
and amazed his son Clancy with the knowledge that he had about the
political events taking place. He
would tell Clancy, “We discussed that and am glad he saw my point of
view”, when a politician he knew presented a bill to Congress.
The amazing thing, Clancy’s father made a huge amount of money in
tips. He served the wealthy,
and eventually they knew to pick his brain as they came in, having a
reputation of knowing he would give them something wise to think about.
Sometimes it was something way out there that eventually refined
their focus; and sometimes he hit the nail on the head.
He always did one thing. He
left them thinking in a fresh or assertive direction with wisdom, yet
still, only speaking when spoken to. That
wisdom and dignity, no matter the board room that his father was in, put
Clancy through college. He
died last year and left Clancy’s mother with a lot of pillowcase money.
Several hundred thousand dollars! And he left Clancy with a college
education he was proud of to provide for his only son, and the wisdom that
his son could too, make a difference in the world.
“What do you think of his ideas Mr.
Foster sir?” Clancy always
had the knowledge of listening, as that was once again was one of the
qualities his father taught him. “He irritates me!
His ideas are good, but we do not need a problem in this election.
With the poor pole results with the Republicans in office, we have
a good shot at going all the way, and I have waited years for this
election to come up. I sure
don’t need a “Golden Boy”, to get in my way, especially someone that
knows nothing about the system other than what he hears on the news.
I have been in politics for 25 years, and have worked my way up the
ladder, knowing all the facets of this government.
I am not about to take a back seat once again, this time to a
rookie; a nobody!” Hughes,
Congressman Foster’s first name was named after Howard Hughes, who in
the earlier part of his life was a dramatic and highly public individual.
He represented excitement and success, an icon in his time.
“I am not sure what to do Clancy.
This concerns me.” “I
understand Mr. Foster sir. I
can do a little digging if you would like me to.
It is the right of the American people to know who this nobody is,
and with his best effort, probably will not get much more than two, maybe
three percent of the vote. As
a result of many of these independent candidates, we can maybe see what
these hot buttons are that people are clamoring around him for; that is if
the ideas are enough to get votes. They
must mean something.” “You
do that Clancy. We need to
know as much about this Golden Simms as we can.
I mean, no college degree, no experience, I am not sure why I am so
concerned. Better to be
informed, wouldn’t you say Clancy?”
“Yes sir, Mr. Foster sir.”
The sir was again part of his dad’s influence.
“Make them feel like a million dollars, no matter whom you are
talking to, and you will be respected for the rest of your years”, his
dad would always say. Besides,
he was Speaker of the House, the Democratic Party leader in the House of
Representatives, a Congressman. He
was indeed someone special.
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