The public has had enough of everyone’s shit, and believe me, I’m well aware of that. Congress won’t know what to do with me because I’m going to govern more like a mid-term president than onewho is just taking office. I will work with everyone—and strong-arm everyone—to get shit done.
If they thought I was a hard-ass bitch before, they ain’t seennothingyet. I’m forty-eight and have plenty of energy in me to dig in and fight for what I believe.
Wait until my Democrat colleagues realize I won’t be giving preferential treatment to them just because of their political party. That’llreally piss them off.
If they think I’m going to rubber-stamp everything that comes out of Congress simply because they’re in the slim majority and think they can ram it through, they’re in for a rude awakening. I won’t hesitate to veto bills if there isn’t a bipartisan consensus
Or would that be tripartisan, now that so many Independents are part of the process?
Don’t know, don’t care.
AllI know is thatmyadministration has an agenda, and we will get that pushed through however it has to happen. Healthcare and infrastructure top that list. If the Republicans are on board with that, great. If not? I’ll find a way to do it without their support.
Ditto my plans for overhauling veterans benefits and military pay, so that we’re actually taking care of those who’ve given the most toserve our country. Their families shouldn’t suffer and have to work extra jobs just to make ends meet. I’ll be ordering an audit of DOD contracts to eliminate pork projects and spending so that funding actually makes it to our vets and enlisted troops. Our VA health care network should be light years ahead of where it is now.
Tweedledee and Tweedledum are still awaiting my answer.
“What aboutF-SforFirst Spouse?” I ask with a miraculously straight face, because it could also stand forFirst Sadist.
They look at each other, both silently sounding it out. “Just say ‘sotus,’” I clarify. “Leave theFsilent.”
I have already wasted too much time on this bullshit.
Neither of them look entirely happy with that option. “It’s gender-neutral,” I add. “We could set a new tradition. It couldcontinue on from here, whether the First Spouse is a man or a woman. Or, hell, even if they’re non-binary.”
I mean, I’d like to think as a country we will get to that point in my lifetime.
Apparently, from the looks on their faces, they hadn’t considered that.
The woman speaks. “Can we take that back to staff and run it past them for their opinions, ma’am?”
“Will it let me get back to workso I’m not here until midnight?” I snark.
She smiles, although I feel badly about the snark. “Yes, ma’am.”
I wave them out. “By all means, take it back to staff.”
Once they’ve left, I can get back to work.
Damn, I wish Kevin was here today, but he’s overseeing transition stuff, too. Going through staffing lists, working his way through all the appointments we’ll have to make to various governmentoffices and agencies, and the hires we’ll need. He’s opted to leave some personnel in place, because they were good at their jobs and fuck partisanship.
This is a government for the whole USA. I’m not going to play stupid games with how it’s run just to put someone with aDafter their name in a slot if someone with anRorIafter their name was already doing a good job.
Plus, as Kev remindedme, having a cabinet made up of a mix of people will look damned good in four years and prove that I’m about the governing, not the politics.
Which I am. About the governing, I mean. Good optics are a bonus. I don’t want yes-people surrounding me. I want people who will stand up to me and be honest with me, who will challenge me, who aren’t afraid to call me out if I screw up.
Make no mistakes—I’mcertain I will screw up. Any president who thinks they won’t does so at their peril.
* * * *
Once I hit a stopping point, I signal to Secret Service I’ll be ready to leave in a few minutes. We’ll head to my campaign headquarters here in DC, which are now our transition headquarters. It’ll be midnight, at least, before we return to my townhouse.
My unit is on the end of the building. Two monthsago, my next-door neighbor had enough of the heavy security around our building and put their townhome up for sale. Chris purchased it through a trust we control. Now, I allow the Secret Service to use it as a security headquarters, for one dollar a day in rent, plus they pay the utilities.
When this news came out, most people hailed me as a new breed of politician actually concerned about thetaxpayers, while some idiots on both far ends of the political spectrum tried to claim I was engaging in underhandedness of some sort.
Which they have yet to explain their rationale. We’ve made all the paperwork public and declared it in my financials. I’m wealthy and can afford not to soak the taxpayers for my security for my townhouse. Just because the government usually does pay for it doesn’tmean they should.
