Nolan felt his blood surge as he turned toward the bank of microphones. “Well, sir, you can start acting like a president and protect the people of this country.”
The crowd exploded. Those who had seemed to support President Walker were now cheering for Nolan. He held his hands up to quiet them.
“Ladies and gentlemen, for those of you who might not know who I am, my name is Joseph Nolan and I’m governor of the great state of North Carolina. I came here on behalf of my state and on behalf of the other twelve states that we now call this country.” He turned to face Walker.
“Mr. President, for four months now, you have abdicated your responsibility and your sworn oath to our Constitution. We have seen a foreign enemy land on our shores, destroy our West Coast with nuclear weapons, occupy sovereign territory, and force American citizens to either run for their lives to this side of the Appalachian Mountains, or denounce their allegiance to this country and adopt the Chinese way of life. And what is your excuse for allowing this to happen? Some man who claims to be a prophet of God!”
Again, the crowd rallied.
“I say if the American people want to believe in some antiquated religious practice, fine. They are guaranteed that freedom under our First Amendment. But honestly, Mr. President, haven’t we, as a nation, gotten past such ideological fantasies? To suggest that a sitting president would base his national security policies on the ramblings of a religious zealot—a lunatic—why, I submit to you that it’s borderline treason!” He pumped his fist at the crowd.
Walker had gone completely red faced. Nolan believed if the TV cameras weren’t there, Walker would punch him in the nose. Some agents from the Secret Service started to move in—probably to usher either me or Walker out of here, he thought. But Walker had held up a hand to call them off. Nolan shot a snide smile at Walker and turned back to the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are the United States of America. Not some third-world country! We have sat by long enough while the Chinese steal our resources and persecute our citizens. We are the greatest nation in the world. It’s time we showed them who they’ve messed with!”
At that, the crowd became unruly. People began to throw water bottles, paper, trash, anything they could find at the guards who were standing between them and the steps to the Capitol, as an energy began to permeate throughout the crowd. Walker pushed Nolan out of the way and tried to get the people’s attention again. Again the agents began to move toward Walker, but he gave a swift slashing of his hand, telling them to stay back.
“Friends…ladies and gentlemen…please…calm down,” Walker pleaded. “Hear what I have to say. This man is trying to bring dissension among us. This is what our enemy, the evil one, would have us do. We must not succumb to such naive ideals. Please, folks.”
But it was too late. Nolan had already stirred the people to the point of near riot. And he was enjoying the effect he’d had. Finally, two Secret Service agents grabbed Walker by the arms and carried him back into the rotunda—apparently no longer caring if Walker objected or not—leaving Nolan alone on the steps in front of the crowd. He pumped his fist a couple more times to incite them again. It was all the guards could do to keep the people from plowing them over.
Finally, when he’d seen enough, and knew he had them where he wanted them, he held his hands up to quiet them down. After a few seconds, he had their attention again.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am saddened by the state of our nation. Not too long ago, we were the most feared superpower on the planet. But then a few traitors and an administration that turned its back on this country’s security brought this to pass on our nation. Not some god.” A few cheers started rising up. But he quickly squelched them. “Now, listen. I don’t hold anything against anyone for his personal beliefs. Personally, I have never seen any evidence that science can’t refute to suggest there even is a God. So I’m sure not going to put the welfare of my country at stake just because some idiot crackpot comes on the scene and says that this God we can’t even prove exists has brought judgment upon us. Who does he think he is? This is America! If there is a God, America is His gift to the world, not His enemy!” Again the crowd erupted.
“Friends, listen to me. President Walker is right. We have a long road ahead of us. It’s going to take time to rebuild this nation to the state of greatness she once enjoyed. But you have to believe me. I and others believe that what President Walker would have us do—or not do, I should say—will ruin the very fabric of our country. Yes, we need to rebuild. Yes, we need to help our fellow citizens as they struggle through this crisis. And yes, we can be the great nation we once were. But we cannot get there by letting the Chinese occupy our lands. They must be dealt with.
“Now, listen. The infrastructure of this country is in shambles right now.” He looked at the congressmen and congresswomen who sat and stood on either side of him. “And many of you are also responsible. Shame on you!”
This time, it took a full two minutes before he could quiet the crowd.
“The bottom line is this: President Walker would have you believe some higher power has, for whatever reason, taken out His frustration on our country. He would have you believe the only way to see this country flourish again is to remain in the state we are now. I disagree. I believe we have been shown we are—have been—vulnerable. That we have enemies, both foreign and domestic. And if we don’t pull our heads out of our rear ends, we’re never going to see greatness again.
“Folks, I want to see America returned to greatness. I want to be able to take my family on a vacation to Colorado to go skiing again. I want to take my family to the beaches of Gulf Shores again. I want to be able to cross that mountain range and not fear that I’m going to get shot by someone pretending to have ownership rights over the land my forefathers bled and died to secure! We can be that nation again. But we cannot be that nation under this administration.
“I have been the governor of North Carolina for going on seven years now. I have the executive knowledge it takes to run this country. And I know this is somewhat unprecedented, but I think we’re a little past normalcy at this stage in the game. Therefore, in front of all of you…” He turned to face the cameras. “And to all of you watching or listening across these thirteen states that we now call a country…I want you all to hear what I’m about to say.
“Mr. President, the Constitution provides for you the opportunity to nominate a new vice president—yet another charge you have neglected. Given my experience as an executive and my desire to see this country back on the world stage—in its rightful place—I am officially demanding that you do so. And I submit to you that I am the right person for that position.”
The crowd exploded with applause. It was as if he had been on the campaign trail for months and his opponent had been ousted for having an affair. The people were practically worshiping him. He didn’t even bother to quiet them this time. He wanted them roused. He wanted the people watching on television to feel the energy in that place. He turned his head toward the rotunda entrance, as if Walker were still standing there listening.
“Look at these people, Mr. President. Listen to them as they applaud my courage to stand up to our enemies. Listen to them as they show their support for someone who desires to lead them!” Turning back to the cameras, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your country. You have the right to demand that President Walker listen to you. That he do as we ask him now and nominate me as vice president. And I make you this promise. As soon as he bows his ego and narcissism to the will of the people, I will see to it that he pays for his neglect of this country. My first order of business, as your new vice president, will be to oversee the process of having him removed from office and tried for crimes of treason against this nation! Then, by the power granted to me by the Constitution, I will assume the rank of your commander in chief. And unlike my counterpart, I promise to act like one! Thank you!”
With that, Nolan stepped back from the bank of microphones and raised his fists in the air. By tomorrow morning, the entire country would be calling for Walker’s head on a plate. And he had just served it up.