"It's not a bad idea, it isn't an entire plan, but it is certainly the beginnings of one, and one that we can implement while we work to finish the rest of the plan, because really, we have to get started soon, otherwise there will be nothing that we can do. We are on a serious time restraint given the whole convention and election process." Sarah was the first to jump on board of this plan already thinking about what they can do.
"How about Megan and Marc work on creating the accounts and getting the followers needed to make a splash while Sarah and I keep trying to find a strong third party candidate to run?" Scott has always been more organized than his friends and therefore is usually better at the little details required for good plans.
"If you and Sarah could agree on a candidate to run then I am pretty sure that candidate would be elected by everyone, given how opposite you are." Marc just laughs at the idea that the two of them will be able to agree on a candidate.
"And that is the exact reason why the two of us should be the ones to try and find a candidate, because if we can agree then it would be the definition of a strong third party candidate." Sarah just glares at Marc.
"Okay guys let's get to work, Marc come on we have to create a whole bunch of accounts, Scott, Sarah we want a candidate by the end of the week if possible to give enough time to campaign effectively." Megan laughs at the look on everyone's face that she took back control from Scott so effectively.
And so the four friends separated and got down to work.
The School.
Flashback
January 2016
The four friends sit in their constitution class Monday morning all constantly refreshing their browsers.
"Shouldn't the results be up by this point? They said Monday morning and it is now noon, there is no way all four of us didn't get a single job, this must be some mistake?!" Sarah was basically hyperventilating, freaking out thinking that she now has no summer plans, she fully expected to get selected to work on the Schwartz campaign and she knows that all her friends also all expected to get selected for their chosen campaigns.
"Sarah calm down, I am sure we all got it, the system might just be a little slow, it wouldn't be governmental if it worked well or on time." Scott makes a joke just as they all heard the tell tale ding of a new email.
"All together?" Marc looks at his three friends when they nod, all four opening their new email at the same time.
"YES!"
"SWEET!"
"I KNEW IT"
"THANK GOD!"
It was clear to each friend that they all got the campaign of their choice.
All four friends wonder what the chances are that they all got their dream jobs. While there might be a lot of campaign jobs out there, there are also a lot of political science students who are trying to get onto those campaigns, and so it is shocking that all four of them got on their chosen campaigns. This is one of the advantages of going to a more prestigious school. Studying might kill you, but it ensures that when you graduate your degree means more than one obtained elsewhere. The friends know that one of the reasons that they got the jobs that they did was because of their school. Extremely famous and prestigious school mean a lot when looking at a resume.
"Tonight after we finish catching up on the reading for this class we go out to celebrate... deal?" Megan looks at her three friends nodding, before the four of them open up their documents for class and pay attention to the prof.
The Discomfort.
The four friends end up watching the political talk shows on Sunday morning together and they could not believe what they were seeing.
All of the candidates were giving separate speeches and every single one was just saddening the four friends. The system has become so corrupt that the four friends do not even recognize what they wish to study.
"When did we become supporters of a system that is so messed up? I mean was the system always this bad and we just didn't notice? Or is this system just so entirely messed up that there is no fixing it? The front runners have the highest unfavorables, No one likes the people running and one of these people are going to become the President of the United States. This is a sad situation, can we call a do over?" Sarah is just so upset that the entire political system just seems to be so wrong. She knows that she is the biggest optimist but she cannot honestly see herself working in a system that has such a serious disregard for voters and their morals. If the unfavorables are this high, there should be a way for the American people to choose a different set of candidates. It is clear that people don't like or trust these candidates, why are they still running?
"I think that the candidates this year seem to be worse than any other election, I have to wonder if this is because of the evolution of information trafficking. In a world with no twitter and google, I don't see a Ronald Card winning an election. He needs a system of quick one liners and not a lot of thought to win." Scott knows the issues with his candidate, and it only gets worse the more he has a chance to talk.
The other two friends just keep watching the shows hoping that a miracle will happen at some point, but knowing that it won't. They knew that this system was corrupt but there just seems to be so much mud, they can't see any grass that might have originally been there.
"We need to use social media to our advantage, we have to move that plan into action a lot faster then we anticipated. This cannot be acceptable. If it was just the cheating I would accept it, but this... this is cannot accept." Sarah is already on her laptop trying to figure out how to fix this. She will not allow her country to fall into the clutches of any of these candidates and therefore has to come up with a viable solution.
Her friends help her spitball ideas and bounce ideas off of them, offering whatever support and knowledge that they can.
The Question.
"Have we thought this through? I mean I understand why we are doing this, and I don't like the idea of cheaters getting away with it and winning but really what are we going to accomplish?" Marc has been wrestling with this for days, as Card and Bunker keep on winning, regardless of any rumors about cheating or indescretions.
"We are doing this because even if we lose at the end of the day, it is important that these things come to light. We are doing this because there always has to be a winner and a loser in a fight, and not being willing to fight means you automatically lose. We are doing this because we can, and because someone needs to. We are doing this because it is our duty to stand up for what is right." Sarah is confident in her convictions and knows that Marc wants to do this, he is just scared about what it means to him and his later political life.
Marc looks at Sarah and knows that she sees right through him. "I know you think that I'm being selfish but I'm not. I want to help the system and the best way for me to do that would be on the inside. And I can't be on the inside if I get blackballed from the system."
"I know what you are worried about Marc, and I don't think it makes you selfish, I think that you need to realize that how the system is now, you will never get in, and never be able to make that difference that you want."
"You need to decide if this system is what you want to work in, or if you agree that there needs to be change. If you believe that there needs to be change then you need to be willing to fight for that change. We can't ask Americans to fight for the change if we aren't willing to do the same thing. We are all ready to fight, are you?"
"I know and I want to help I really do. I just had a momentary lapse of conviction, I'm sorry."
Sarah hugs Marc. "There is no reason to apologize Marc, we have all been there, me included. What matters is that you want to work."
"Always."
The Downfall.
"Hey