subtitled the Exorcism
" Rosalee, You're new here, listen closely and keep your mouth shut, and you might stay." The officious senior secretary sneered at the newcomer. Rosalee who'd just started yesterday, had arrived as part of the White House shakeup that followed the President's denouncing insider trading on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Once the President turned on Wall Street, many working at the White House, saw their career no longer advanced by time at the so called "people's" house. The last straw for many had been the two week open house the President and first lady presided over during the National Conference on Family, Health and Housing. "The people," had been permitted wander anywhere in 1600. Not only that, but funds that had been earmarked for the hollow leg that was the TSA budget had instead been redirected to expanding Medicare for Families. For Families?
It seemed half a lifetime ago, Rosalee set her studies aside to join Occupy, the movement to renew Civic Rights and Economic Justice. She had been a teaching assistant to Professor Elizabeth Warren at Harvard, and had also joined Professor Warren during her stint overseeing the TARP Process. Later she left school again to work with Professor Warren while she stood up the only consumer protection to come from Wall Street's looting of Main Street, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. So when "that" Obama caved again Goldman Sachs and drop kicked Professor Warren out of the agency she created, Rosalee reluctantly returned to Harvard.
Rosalee had taken a position with the Congressional Progressive Caucus and was instrumental in arranging the large video projections of the JOB TOUR VIDEOS that had captured the attention of American public and Congress. Rosalee had made the arrangements for the nightly projections on all four faces of the Washington Monument. Everyone knows about it now, but it was once little more than a memo. The Progressive Democratic Caucus had toured the country collecting the voices and faces of Americans telling their personal stories of jobs lost, sent overseas, and over and over the stories of amnesiac bankers refusing to do, what they'd committed to do, when they got their TAX PAYER BAILOUT!
The President would ascribe his moment of transformation to the Wednesday night he left the Goldman Sachs party and while driving past the Washington Monument saw the JOBS VIDEO projected on all four sides of the Tower. That was the third night of the projections that continued to reverberate across Washington appearing every night for a week at various locations across DC.
That night the President he stopped the limo and jumped out and walked up the hill to join the throng watching transfixed as Americans told their stories. He got it, now could see the ninety-nine percent. He walked around the truck and nearly bumped into Rosalee, who spent the better part of an hour explaining the tour and what they learned from the project. "This is incredible" the president said. Pointing to the images playing across the face of the monument. "The Washington monument can become a living monument to all Americans." She started working at the White House the next day.
The president called Rosalee into THE OVAL "Have you placed the orders?" " Yes, Mr. President, the picnic tables will arrive today, and the tents later this afternoon." "Have you asked the networks for the half hour tomorrow night?" "I told them you required a half hour of prime-time, is that enough?" "I'm not not sure how much of this they'll want to cover," the president grinned and turned back to the papers spread across his desk. Rosalee leaned over, "A Presidential speech on the lawn outside the Pentagon, with the public invited for dinner and a movie? They'll cover the speech, AND the video." "Are the projectors, ready?" "Yes, Mr. President, and we'll have copies of the footage for the networks." "Thanks" he said.
Rosalee, left the Oval, and no sooner had arrived at her desk, than word came from the gate that the special guests had arrived. Rosealee met the guests and led them to the security check point. There were three Tibetan Buddhist Monks, one Zen monk, a pair of Wiccans and Native American Shaman from the Black Hills and the Navaho Nation. After they were finger-printed. Rosalee led them in to meet the President. They came into the Oval and quietly shook hands with the president. He asked them to start in his office. The Monks lit their incense and began chanting as they circled the room. The Shaman from the high plains lit their sage and began to cleanse the aura of the Oval office. The Wiccan's drew ley lines on the rugs and then joined in the chants of the Tibetans who also began circling the room. The president stood in the doorway observing the monks at play, and said quietly to Rosalee. "This should make things easier." Her eyes flicked from the president, to the murmuring monks as they conducted the cleansing ceremony.
" C-SPAN's here Mr. President." Rosalee interrupts, "they are setting up in the Rose Garden." The presidents headed out to the Rose Garden. CSPAN's Producer leaned over to the press secretary and whispered "What's with all the picnic tables set up in the Rose Garden? The Press Secretary looks over her glasses and says soto voce" "He'll address that."
Within minutes of the Presidents announcement, word went out on TEEVEE, Radio, and the INNERNETS. The President had invited the nation to drop by for a picnic. People from across the nation were shocked and responded with a collective," We'll be there!"
Catering trucks were lined up for blocks as the White House gates were thrown wide open. Pundits were puzzled, what was he thinking ? Was he unhinged? Speculation swirled across the chattering classes. The afternoon's news was full of smiling families cued up at the White House front gate, getting their pictures taken, and then being welcomed to the "Peoples House." Picnic tables had been scattered across the White House grounds, and families and children sat and dined on sandwiches, potato salad, iced tea and lemonade. Meanwhile plans were put into play outside the Pentagon just across the Potomac.
RosaLee had been given her instructions by the President, and after a raft of calls, had made travel arrangements for one thousand one hundred and one "special" guests of the president. The president declared a JUBILEE. All consumer debt's were forgiven. Effectively redirecting the BAILOUT from Bankers to American Families. And before America could catch it's collective breath, he then announced that for the next week, he and the first family will be hosting Americans on the White House grounds, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All comers would be welcomed. He and Michelle would each take turns touring the grounds, and hosting Americans of every stripe.
The president walked out to the Gate House where the press had been stopped. He made his next major announcement. He had invited all America to join him at the Pentagon next Monday at the Pentagon to view some of the nations' "home movies"? The official mouthpieces of the right, shrieked that the president was mad? Had someone finally thrown the switch on this Manchurian Candidate?
He'd caught Congressional Democrats and party leaders flat footed. Harry Reid, could hardly even bring himself to harrumph! The Occupy Movement was ecstatic, this might just be an interesting President. Earlier that morning he'd replaced little Timmy Geithner as Treasury Secretary with Professor Elizabeth Warren, and he'd placed Robert Reich in charge of the Fed and Rich Trumpka replaced that ZERO from GM as White House Chief of Staff, as well as Chief National Employment advisor.
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