She didn’t need to remind Richard of George Novak’s wisdom in insisting on not renewing Lester’s loan to the Shah and when the Russians marched over the Afghanistan border, Richard canceled their holiday to watch the Olympics in Moscow.
The Republicans went to Detroit in July and chose Ronald Reagan with George Bush as his running mate. A few weeks later the Democrats came to New York and the party confirmed Jimmy Carter with even less enthusiasm than they had showed for Adlai Stevenson. When the victorious Carter entered Madison Square Garden, even the balloons refused to come down from the ceiling.
Florentyna tried to continue her work in a Congress that was not certain which would be the majority party in a few months’ time. She pushed through amendments on the Defense Appropriations bill and the Paperwork Reduction Act. As the election drew nearer, she began to fear that the fight for her own seat might be close when the Republicans replaced Stewart Lyle with an enthusiastic young advertising executive, Ted Simmons.
With Janet prodding her, she once again pushed her voting record up to around eighty percent by only accepting invitations to speak in Washington or in Illinois during the last six months prior to the election.
Carter and Reagan seemed to be living in Chicago, flying in and out of Illinois like two cuckoos in one clock. The polls were declaring it was too close to call, but Florentyna was not convinced after she had seen the candidates debate in Cleveland in front of a television audience estimated at 100 million Americans. The next day Bob Buchanan told her that Reagan might not have won the debate, but he sure as hell hadn’t lost it, and for someone trying to remove the White House incumbent, that was all-important.
As Election Day drew nearer, the issue of the hostages in Iran became more and more a focal point in the minds of the American people, who began to doubt that Carter could ever resolve the problem. On the streets of Chicago, supporters told Florentyna that they would return her to Congress but they could not back Carter for a second term. Richard said he knew exactly how they felt and predicted that Reagan would win easily. Florentyna took his view seriously and spent the last few weeks of the campaign working as if she were an unknown candidate fighting her first election.
Her efforts were not helped by a torrential rainstorm in Chicago which poured down on the streets right up until Election Day.
When the last vote had been counted even she was surprised by the size of the Reagan victory, which took the Senate with him on his coattails and only just failed to capture the House for the Republicans.
Florentyna was returned to Congress with her majority cut to 9,031. She flew into Washington, battered but not beaten, a few hours before the hostages returned.
The new President lifted the spirit of the nation with his inaugural address. Richard, in a morning coat, smiled all the way through the speech and applauded loudly at the section he would quote to Florentyna for several years after.
We hear much of special interest groups, but our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries, crosses ethnic and racial divisions and political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes and heal us when we’re sick. Professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, cabbies and truck drivers. They are, in short, we the people, this breed called Americans.
After the speech had been enthusiastically received the President gave a final wave to the crowd in front of the main stand, and turned to leave the podium.
Two Secret Service men guided him through a human aisle created by the honor guard.
Once the Presidential party had reached the bottom of the steps, Mr. Reagan and the First Lady climbed into the back of a limousine, obviously unwilling to follow the example of the Carters and walk down Constitution Avenue to their new home. As the car moved slowly off, one of the Secret Service men flicked a switch on his two-way radio. ‘Rawhide returns to Crown’ was all he said, and then, staring through a pair of binoculars, he followed the limousine all the way to the White House gates.
When Florentyna returned to Congress in January 1981, it was a different Washington. Republicans no longer needed to beg support for every measure they espoused, because the elected representatives knew the country was demanding change. Florentyna enjoyed the new challenge of studying the program Reagan sent up to the Hill and was only too happy to support great sections of it.
She had become so occupied with amendments to the Reagan budget and defense program that Janet had to point out to her an item in the Chicago Tribune which might eventually remove her from the House.
Senator Nichols of Illinois announced this morning that he would not be seeking reelection to the Senate in 1982.
Florentyna was sitting at her desk, taking in the significance of this statement, when the editor of the Chicago Sun-Times called to ask her if she would be entering the race for the Senate in 1982. Florentyna realized that it was only natural for the press to speculate on her candidacy after three and a half terms as a representative.
‘It doesn’t seem that long ago,’ she teased, ‘that your distinguished journal was suggesting I resign.’
‘There was an English prime minister who once said that a week was a long time in politics. So where do you stand, Florentyna?’
‘It’s never crossed my mind,’ she said, laughing.
‘That’s one statement no one is going to believe and I am certainly not going to print it. Try again.’
‘Why are you pushing me so hard when I still have over a year to decide?’
‘You haven’t heard?’
‘Heard what?’ she asked.
‘At a press conference held this morning at City Hall the State’s Attorney announced that he’s a candidate.’
‘Ralph Brooks to Run for Senate’ ran the banner headline across the afternoon editions of the newspapers of Illinois, Many reporters mentioned in their columns that Florentyna had not yet made a decision on whether she would challenge the State’s Attorney. Once again pictures of Mr. and Mrs. Brooks stared up at Florentyna. The damn man seems to get better-looking all the time, she grumbled. Edward called from New York to say he thought she should run but advised her to hold back until the Brooks publicity machine ran out of steam. ‘You might even be able to orchestrate your announcement so that it looks as if you are bowing to public pressure.’
‘Whom are the party faithful backing?’
‘My estimate is sixty-forty in your favor, but since I’m no longer even a committeeman it’s hard to predict. Don’t forget it’s over a year to the primary so there’s no need to rush in, especially now that Brooks has made his move. You can sit back and wait until the time suits you.’
‘Why do you think he announced so early?’
‘To try and frighten you off, I suppose. Maybe he figures you might hold back until 1984.’
‘Perhaps that’s a good idea.’
‘No, I don’t agree. Never forget what happened to John Culver in Iowa. He decided to wait because he felt it would be easier later when weaker opposition was around, so his personal assistant ran instead of him, won the seat and remains in the Senate till this day.’