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2065: America Fifty Years After Obama
The President and the Cabinet
Chapter 4 of Mr. Tucker’s novel 2065, which we are serializing, on America after China’s seizure of Pearl Harbor.
(Page 4 of 5)
“Alright, tell them I’ll be there.
“Who is our Ambassador to China?” said the President, turning back to the business at hand.
“Samuel Federer,” said Adams. “He’s an old China hand. He’s had some health problems recently and may be about to retire.”
“He’s very knowledgeable about China,” said Darwin Slater, the diminutive head of the National Security Council, brushing some dandruff off his suit. “I think he’d be the man for the job.”
“Alright, let’s get him back to Hawaii and see if we can get started on some kind of negotiation,” said the President. “Now could someone get that pollster back in here a moment? I have to go on television in ten minutes and convince the American public this is all really happening. Does anyone have any ideas?”
This was new to everyone.
“How about bringing in a group of Hollywood directors to say they couldn’t create anything like this in virtual reality?” said Vice President Meers.
“People will believe Hollywood,” said Wadsworth.
“Probably more than they believe us,” added Adams ruefully.
“What’s the level of public skepticism on other issues?” asked Treasury Secretary Singh in his usual analytic fashion. The pollster had entered the room and heard the question.
“Forty-five percent believe the debt is an illusion,” he said impassively. “Fifty-five percent say the Mars Expedition of 2057 was a fake. Fifteen percent think China owes us money.”
“What the percentage for those moon landings in the last century?” asked Kiernan Train, the Secretary of Technology.
“Fifty-five percent still believe they were staged in Arizona,” said the aide. “It’s held fairly steady over the past thirty years.
“How many of them believe in Santa Claus?” asked the Secretary of the Navy.
“Thirty-four percent of all children under eight, sir,” said the aide without blinking.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (5) | Leave a comment
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TLP| 9.21.12 @ 8:40AM
You didn't hear it from me, but the Contest has begun.
Look and you shall Find.
Bob S| 9.22.12 @ 3:42AM
Man, I really should've read the first part.
Mizza? Really? I honestly don't think we'll go down THAT route.
John II| 9.22.12 @ 10:54AM
Well, I DID read the first part. "Brave New World" it ain't--the writing is slapdash and cheesy, and the characters are cardboard figurines cut out to represent types and (bad) ideas. In other words, it's a serviceable piece of dystopian extrapolation, with no pretense at literary merit. Myself, I have only two problems with the effort:
1. Since the characters are merely stand-ins for ideas, the inconsistencies one might expect in a real character are just plain inconsistent. In the first episode, for example, Mizza President is made to recall Hitler in the Sudetenland; the reference to Hitler as a kneejerk lefty expression of moral superiority is okay, but the particularity of the reference (Sudetenland) is inconsistent with the airhead type represented by Mizza President, who cannot plausibly have any knowledge of or interest in history. Like herm real-life antecedents in the Obamanation, s/he is strictly a child of herm times. More to follow if anyone's reading . . .
John II| 9.22.12 @ 10:56AM
2. As others have already suggested, the year 2065 may be stretching the timeline out a bit too much. This point came home to me with the fourth episode, in which the asinine discussion in the White House reminded me explicitly of almost any faculty meeting I've attended in the past ten years or so. In other words, Mr. Tucker's future extrapolation is already with us. If the Chinese took over Hawaii tomorrow, I can't imagine that the Professor's cabinet would discuss the development in any essentially different way.
I have nine grandchildren so far. In the year 2065, the oldest of them will be almost a decade younger than I am now.
TLP| 9.24.12 @ 9:00AM
I hate to break up this Love Fest, but, other than Copying Mr. and Ms. Romer? The rest of the Column looks pretty much like a Phone in Cut and Paste.
And, don't think I didn't notice that you gave my little Contest THE FINGER, cause I did.
That being said, (and, with you being so smart, and all) there is ONE Tax that this Clean and Articulate Magic Negro (Hat Tip - Village Idiot and LA TIMES) has no problem Cutting. FICA.
Now, why do you suppose, with Soc. Sec. on its last leg, would President You didn't build that, Shut Off the only means of Funding for Social Security?
You're a Brainiac. Why do you think he's doing it?
Better yet.
What do the Romers think?
You shoulda went to The Contest.
It even had Subtitles in Swahili, and Borneoinian, just for you.