She and Edward spent a quiet weekend together at Cape Cod, and while he lost yet another golf match, they discussed the tide in the affairs of one woman, the flood and the possible fortune.
By the time that Edward returned to New York and Florentyna to Washington, the decision had finally been made.
Chapter thirty-four
‘...and to that end I declare my candidacy for the office of President of the United States.’
Florentyna gazed into the Senate Caucus Room at the 350 applauding members of the audience, which occupied a space that the sergeant-at-arms insisted should only hold 300. Television camera crews and press photographers shoved and dodged to prevent their frames from being filled with the backs of anonymous heads. Florentyna remained seated during the prolonged applause that followed her announcement. When the noise had finally ebbed, Edward stepped up to face the battery of microphones at the podium.
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ he said. ‘I know the candidate will be delighted to answer your questions.’
Half the people in the room started to speak at once and Edward nodded to a man in the third row to indicate that he could ask the first question.
‘Albert Hunt of The Wall Street Journal,’ he said. ‘Senator Kane, who do you think will be your toughest opponent?’
‘The Republican candidate,’ she said without hesitation. There was a ripple of laughter and some applause. Edward smiled and called for the next question.
‘Senator Kane, is this really a bid to be Pete Parkin’s running mate?’
‘No, I am not interested in the office of Vice President,’ replied Florentyna. ‘At best it’s a period of stagnation while you wait around in the hope of doing the real job. At worst I am reminded of Nelson Rockefeller’s words: “Don’t take the number two spot unless you’re up for a four-year advanced seminar in political science and a lot of state funerals.” I’m not in the mood for either.’
‘Do you feel America is ready for a woman President?’
‘Yes, I do, otherwise I would not be willing to run for the office, but I will be in a better position to answer that question on November third.’
‘Do you think the Republicans might select a woman?’
‘No, they don’t have the courage for such a bold move. They’ll watch the Democrats make a success of the idea and copy it when the next election comes around.’
‘Do you feel you have enough experience to hold this office?’
‘I have been a wife, a mother, the chairman of a multimillion-dollar corporation, a member of the House for eight years and a senator for seven. In the public career I’ve chosen, the Presidency is the number one spot. So yes, I believe I am now qualified for that job.’
‘Do you expect the success of your Welfare Act to help you with the votes of the poor and black communities?’
‘I hope the act will bring me support from every sector. My main intent with that piece of legislation was to ensure that both those who contribute to welfare through taxation and those who benefit from the legislation will feel that the provisions made are just and humane in a modern society.’
‘After the Russian invasion of Yugoslavia, would your administration take a harder line with the Kremlin?’
‘After Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Afghanistan, Poland and now Yugoslavia, the latest Soviet offensive on the Pakistan border reinforces my long-standing conviction that we must remain vigilant in the defense of our people. We must always remember that the fact that the two biggest oceans on earth have protected us in the past is no guarantee of our safety in the future.’
‘The President has described you as a hawk in dove’s clothing.’
‘I’m not sure if that’s a comment on my dress or my looks, but I suspect that the combination of those two birds looks not unlike the American eagle.’
‘Do you feel we can keep a special relationship with Europe after the election results in France and Britain?’
‘The decision of the French to return to a Gaullist government while the British voted for a new Labor administration does not greatly concern me. Michel Chirac and Roy Hattersley have both proved to be good friends of America in the past and I see no reason why that should change in the future.’
‘Do you expect Ralph Brooks’s support for your campaign?’
It was the first question that took Florentyna by surprise. ‘Perhaps you should ask him. But I naturally hope that Senator Brooks will feel pleased by my decision.’ She could think of nothing else to add.
‘Senator Kane, do you approve of the current primary system?’
‘No. Although I’m not a supporter of a national primary, the present system is by any standards archaic. America seems to have developed a process for the selection of a President that is more responsive to the demands of the network news programs than it is to the needs of modern government. It also encourages dilettante candidates. Today, you have a better chance of becoming President if you are temporarily out of work, having been left several million by your grandmother. You then have four years off to devote to running around the country collecting delegates, while the people best qualified for the job are probably doing a full day’s work elsewhere. If I became President, I would seek to send a bill to the Congress which would not handicap anyone from running for the Presidency through lack of time or money. We must reinstate the age-old precept that anyone born in this country, with both the desire to serve and the ability to do the job, will not find themselves disqualified before the first voter goes to the polls.’
The questions continued to come to Florentyna from all parts of the room and she took the last one over an hour later.
‘Senator Kane, if you become President, will you be like Washington and never tell a lie or like Nixon and have your own definition of the truth?’
‘I cannot promise I will never lie. We all lie, sometimes to protect a friend or a member of our family and if I were President perhaps to protect my country. Sometimes we lie just because we don’t want to be found out. The one thing I can assure you of is that I am the only woman in America who has never been able to lie about her age.’ When the laughter died down, Florentyna remained standing. ‘I’d like to end this press conference by saying that whatever the outcome of my decision today, I wish to express my thanks as an American for the fact that the daughter of an immigrant has found it possible to run for the highest office in the land. I don’t believe such an ambition would be attainable in any other country in the world.’
Florentyna’s life began to change the moment she left the room; four Secret Service agents formed a circle around the candidate, the lead one skillfully creating a passage for her through the mass of people.
Florentyna smiled when Brad Staimes introduced himself and explained that for the duration of her candidacy, there would always be four agents with her night and day, working in eight-hour shifts. Florentyna couldn’t help noticing that two of the agents were women whose build and physical appearance closely resembled her own. She thanked Staimes but never quite became used to seeing one of the agents whenever she turned her head. Their tiny earphones distinguished them from well-wishers, and Florentyna recalled the story about an elderly lady who attended a Nixon rally in 1972. She approached a Nixon aide at the end of the candidate’s speech and said she would definitely vote for his reelection because he obviously sympathized with those who, like herself, were hard of hearing.
Following the press conference, Edward chaired a strategy meeting in Florentyna’s office to work out a rough schedule for the coming campaign. The Vice President had some time before announced that he was a candidate and several other contestants had thrown their hats into the ring, but the press had already decided that the real battle was going to be between Kane and Parkin.