Final Notice, page 21
Even before this affront to his intelligence, McAdam had decided that this term would be his last. He was 80 years old, and would be 86 when his term was up, and that was enough. He was lucky not to have any health issues, although it seemed like he was tired all the time. As he reflected on his tenure in the Senate, he knew that he had strayed far from the path that he envisaged when he began: too many compromises for the wrong reasons, too often voting the party line when he disagreed, and too much turning blind eyes. The recent shooting in Mobile was proof that he was right and that all of his fellow Senators who chuckled about it were wrong, but that wasn’t going to burnish his legacy. What about his own conscience? Was there still time to overcome his mistakes of the past 30 years? His answer to these questions was a decision to change his “don’t make waves” behavior that had guided him for much of his career. Politically, he had nothing to lose, so he would try to fight for what he believed in for the next six years.
He prepared a list of the issues he felt most strongly about, and he knew that even if he got some modest support from his fellow GOP colleagues, which was doubtful, success in righting any of these wrongs was very much a long shot. His list included:
-Getting money out of politics
-Setting term limits for Senators and Representatives
-Breaking the NRA’s hold on the party
-Ensuring that healthcare was maintained – at least at the current level
-Ensuring Freedom of Speech
-Safeguarding voting rights
He spoke with a few of his colleagues about his “new” ideas. Their reactions ranged from muted to outright hostility. He received a fair hearing from two women senators, who were usually more moderate in their beliefs, but he knew that these potential allies were looked upon as novelties, with thinking way outside of the GOP mainstream. Obviously, he would get more attention from the Democrats, but that would be of little practical help.
He decided to go public with one of his ideas and see if that would help garner support from colleagues and the electorate. And to ensure he got the press coverage he wanted, he chose as his first topic: Freedom of Speech.
John McAdam had chosen well. The current Administration was flagrantly undermining and curtailing freedom of speech through a concerted effort by everyone at the White House to denigrate as incorrect, false or outright lies, any news that was critical of the Administration. As a result, The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN, amongst others, were banned from White House briefings; and some that weren’t banned stayed away in solidarity.
The public was upset, the Democrats were upset, but no one from the GOP seemed to care at all. McAdam knew that voicing concern would be breaking ranks and frowned upon, but he was about to find out just how much.
He made contact with a correspondent he knew at The Washington Post, and given the rarity of GOP dissent on the assault on Freedom of Speech, a prominent article appeared the next day citing a lone Republican voicing concern. McAdam was quoted as saying, “We must have a free, even adversarial press if we want to preserve our democracy. Authoritarian leaders understand that the first step in demolishing liberties is to destroy the free and independent press.”
Even before leaving for the Senate the next morning, his phone was ringing nonstop, mostly from reporters at other papers and the TV networks. Within the course of an hour he was booked to appear on MSNBC, CNN, and even Fox News. He had also given a dozen newspapers the same quote as he had given The Washington Post, along with additional comments in answer to their questions. One that many asked was whether he felt the current President was becoming or trying to become a dictator. His response to that was, “I’m not saying that. What I’m saying is that it’s up to everyone, in and out of government, to ensure that it can never happen.”
While those calls and attention were exciting and he felt that he was finally saying what he thought, the other calls he received – from his Senate colleagues and White House staff – ranged from disappointment to outright threats. It was therefore with some trepidation that he made his way to “The Hill” for the day’s session. When he arrived, it was as though one side of the chamber could plainly see that he was carrying the plague while the other side thought he was the Messiah. Even the two GOP women sympathizers knew better than to acknowledge him. As the session came to order, the most despised Senator in the Chamber, by either party, Todd Creud of Florida, was given the floor, where he lashed out at McAdam for breaking ranks and dishonoring the President. McAdam actually thought for a moment that, given the speaker, it might help him, as unpopular as Creud was, but the cheers and thunderous applause from the GOP ranks dashed any hopes of that. Even the Democrats, sensing the mood, kept low.
McAdam rose to reply, and he was acknowledged by the Leader, who may have hoped that he would recant. A few boos sounded out but they were called to order and McAdam replied, “I have been a member of this body for almost 30 years and I have watched with dismay as our party has become more intolerant, more mean spirited …” – the boos began again but McAdam had a booming voice and raised his volume enough to be heard – “more destructive and more interested in scoring points than representing our constituents. You … we, are an embarrassment to this country. It is not how our founders intended our government to function and they, too, would be embarrassed. But I, even if I am alone, will no longer sell myself to the highest bidder, turn a blind eye to the self- serving bills, and obstruct good legislation simply because it came from the other side of the aisle.” And with that, he walked out to a deafening chorus of boos and headed for Union Station to catch a train to New York and his first round of television appearances.
If the Republicans thought they just had a loose cannon with McAdam’s Freedom of the Press issue, they were wrong, as they found out during his appearance on Morning Joe. Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski thought they had a good show with a prominent Republican Senator standing up for the First Amendment, which really shouldn’t have been news at all, but as he was the only one speaking out, it was news. What they hadn’t counted on was the depth of the Senator’s transformation. No one had ever passed through the Senate and publicly trashed the process and his colleagues before. So, after asking him their leading question about his stand on the Freedom of the Press issue, they sat there calmly absorbing what he had said to The Washington Post, asking some additional questions; but as they began to wrap up, McAdam added, “And this is just the tip of the iceberg” and he rattled off his list. Joe quickly realized the opportunity and called for a quick break, “We’ll be back in a moment with Senator John McAdam and his views on what is wrong with the Republican Senate.”
During the break, they quickly rearranged the balance of the program before they returned to the Senator for his bare-all, tell-it-like-it-is critique, with what needs to be fixed. Joe and Mika were seasoned political hacks and they milked his additional five points for the remainder of the show so well that the gasps from the Senate could almost be heard in New York. McAdam’s performance and potential were witnessed by Rachel Maddow, also at MSNBC ... John Berman, CNN ... and Bret Baier, Fox News ... who all made adjustments to their own shows to ensure they could reap the full potential. Their marketing departments quickly blanketed their networks with promotional advertising to generate viewership for what they perceived to be major news events.
Meanwhile, McAdam’s voicemail box quickly filled up, his phone was bleeping madly with text messages, and the emails and Tweets were, as they say, “trending.” He had the phone numbers of most of his Senate colleagues stored on his phone, so he could easily identify whom the messages were from; and after listening to a few that he half-hoped would be constructive, he deleted the rest. The others were from television stations, newspapers, other media outlets and constituents. He listened to one from a constituent and it was very positive. Then another, and then more, and all but a couple were extremely positive and encouraging. If he had harbored any doubts about his recent course of action, this feedback erased it.
McAdam basked in the media spotlight, and while speaking his mind and speaking from his heart, he won the many battles with increasingly aggressive anchors and panel members who sought to discredit him. His exposure and national attention rivaled that of the top Presidential contenders during the last election. Alone, in his hotel room, however, his heart welled up with longing and deep regret that his wife of 55 years, Anne, wasn’t alive to see his about-face change. He knew that she had been disappointed that he didn’t always fight against the wrongs and fight for the rights, but she would never criticize nor second-guess him. He missed her, and these last two years without her had been harder than he liked to admit. And he was tired. Very tired.
When he returned to the Senate, he anticipated a hostile reception and he wasn’t disappointed. He was a leper, but he didn’t care. He knew what he was doing, and it was the right thing to do, finally. Right from the outset of the session, the sharks were out, calling for Censure, even Expulsion. Expulsion from the Senate was unlikely as that would require a number of Democrats to vote Aye, and he didn’t think that would happen. Censure required only a simple majority and the GOP had that. It would take a while without the complete agreement of enough members and any motion would have to go to committee. With a one-week recess looming, nothing much would happen before then. So, McAdam pretended to listen to the virulent accusations, often smiling at the hypocrisy of the speakers.
Meanwhile, the media was having a field day, feeding activists across the country, who rallied behind McAdam’s six-point list. Most of the points had already been central to activists’ rallying cries, but one began to emerge as the most popular, and this was the one that the incumbents feared the most: Setting Term Limits. Shortly before the recess, McAdam received an unannounced visitor, Senator Lawrence Grant, from Mississippi. Senator Grant, like McAdam, had been in the Senate for decades and for the most part, they thought along the same lines. McAdam hoped that the visit was one of support, even if only moral, but he was wrong.
Grant had been co-opted by a group of Senators to talk with McAdam as a last gasp effort to get him to see reason and halt, if not reverse, the damage he was doing. They knew that the issues would become even more prominent if the Senate acted to Censure McAdam, although a majority wanted to do at least that. Grant was one of the most reasonable voices in the Senate, but he didn’t cut McAdam any slack and told him that even if McAdam didn’t speak out any more, a motion for Censure would come out of Committee. He needed to recant and make an apology. He could cite exhaustion or give some other reason for his irrational remarks. His colleagues might even consider his call for action on the erosion of Freedom of the Press, although Grant told him frankly, that consideration was all he would get.
McAdam listened during the brief visit and Grant pleaded with him to reconsider his position. He asked, or more accurately, told him to think about it; and added that a few Senators would like to meet with him in Montgomery next week, during the recess, so they could strategize the best way forward when the Senate reconvened. McAdam smiled inwardly as he knew that recently, many Senators wanted to avoid going to their home bases, as activists and even former supporters were clamoring for Town Hall meetings so they could rebuke their Senators. So, a detour to Montgomery would give them a good excuse. McAdam remained gracious and said he would think about it and they were welcome to come to his home in Montgomery, although he warned Grant not to hold out much hope. McAdam left it that Grant would contact him with two to three possible dates and times for the visit.
After the meeting, McAdam began to feel a bit of remorse at the cost of his actions. He had lost a number of friends and he was, indeed, hurting a number of people that he liked. Just then, a call came in to his office phone from a constituent that buoyed his conviction that he was doing the right thing. But try as he might to feel good, he was just too tired. He needed a break.
***
Pasadena, California. As Vince returned from a short morning walk with Miles, Trudi was in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and the mail. “Guess what? We’ve won a trip to the NRA headquarters in Virginia!” she said, rolling her eyes.
Vince gave her a kiss on the cheek and poured himself a cup of coffee. “How did that happen?”
“When we got our discounted gun, we were entered into a drawing. It’s to celebrate their millionth Senior Discount sale.
“Wonderful,” matching her eye roll. “When is it?”
“Early next month.” Hearing that, Vince hoped that Trudi didn’t see that he thought it might be too late. Not that he was at all interested in going.
Vince had all but been given a death sentence, even if his VT2 hadn’t buzzed yet. His arm was still a little sore from his second rabies shot and he was angry, wanted revenge, and soon he would have a gun to do the job. He called Qasim again to see if anyone had seen the suspects and to tell Qasim that the dog may have died. Qasim asked why he thought that, and Vince gave him a very loose version of the truth, that the doctors had detected some possible rabies presence and had started him on a preventative course of the rabies vaccine. Qasim was alarmed by that news but Vince downplayed the seriousness and assured him that everything was under control. Somewhat mollified, Qasim commented that without the dog, finding two guys with vague descriptions, who may even have changed their clothes, just got much more difficult. But Vince was not about to give up. He was obsessed.
***
CHAPTER 24 – THE BAD, THE WORSE & THE UGLY
Montgomery, Alabama. McAdam caught a Delta flight at 3:00 PM via Atlanta to get him into Montgomery at 5:45 PM. From there, it was just a short taxi ride to “The Retreat,” McAdam’s beloved neoclassical revival home in Montgomery’s Garden District, with its massive oaks draped in Spanish moss ... the home that he and Anne had tastefully restored and enjoyed for almost 50 years. As had been the case for the past two years, McAdam’s arrival at The Retreat brought him both joy and a sense of emptiness.
The house smelled of the furniture polish that Mrs. Mays used, and he knew she must have been there earlier that day to air out the house, dust, and make it ready for his arrival – ensuring that he had fresh orange juice, plenty of coffee, English muffins, and peanut butter for breakfast. Mattie Mays had been their housekeeper at The Retreat for almost 20 years and he guessed that she missed Anne almost as much as he did. As the years passed and the children left home, the required cleaning diminished and he reckoned that she and Anne did more sipping tea and chatting than cleaning; but he also knew that the two had formed a bond, and with him away so much, he was happy for that. He looked forward to seeing Mattie again – although he always called her Mrs. Mays – and he knew she’d drop by late morning, tomorrow.
He had a glass or two of wine and some peanuts, his favorite evening repast, and looked forward to a good night’s sleep; but as tired as he was, he didn’t sleep well. Some of it was due to his concerns about the new path he was taking, but mostly it was the excitement about the new path. For the first time in a very long time, he was enthusiastic about his work. He wasn’t looking forward to seeing Grant and the promised GOP “committee” that would be urging and threatening him to change direction. And he wasn’t looking forward to seeing Doc Turner, either, but that was because Turner was a “bleeding-heart-liberal,” who always dispensed his political advice along with the medicine.
He made a note to call Thomas and Rebecca, his son and daughter. Thomas worked in Silicon Valley at a company whose name he could never remember – partly because his son changed jobs a lot, and partly because the companies all had names that were not real words and were so new that he had never heard of them. Thomas had explained that frequent job changes were routine in the tech world and seen as a good thing. Rebecca, on the other hand, was a doctor in Massachusetts and, like Doc Turner, didn’t agree with his politics. She had, however, emailed him shortly after his interview on MSNBC, saying she was really proud of his views. She also asked what happened to bring about the change.
After his favorite breakfast of fresh orange juice, strong black coffee, and a well-done English muffin loaded with crunchy peanut butter, he took a stroll around the grounds of The Retreat. Gus, his gardener, had also been there recently and everything looked its springtime best. Anne loved her gardens and spent as much time as she could, caring for her plants, until she could no longer care for herself. His eyes watered a bit as he thought of her, on her knees, weeding and trimming, her wide brimmed straw hat shielding her fair skin from the sun. He decided to call Rebecca and put his mind back on a positive track.
As he had hoped, Rebecca was in, having chosen to take a Saturday off, and she sounded happy to hear from him. She immediately picked up the question from her email and wanted to understand what made him change his views on so many issues. She was too young to know that her dad had once been an independent thinker, instead of the “toe the party line” conservative she had come to know. McAdam was honest with her, something that had always been a characteristic of the family’s dealings with each other. The kids were honest with him and Anne, and with each other; and he and Anne did their best to be honest with Thomas and Rebecca. He admitted that over the years, as the party had drifted further to the right, he had gone with the tide and followed. It had been easier that way, but in the end, it had gone too far.
