2004 Independent Candidate For President

[Odinson]

STATE OF MAINE
Dyce Head Lighthouse
September 6, 2004
6:49 P.M. EST

​

The town of Castine, Maine was normally a sleepy coastal community that had little to no excitement other than an annual festival or two, Sunday church services, and the occasional group of students from the local Maine Maritime Academy who might be a bit noisy at one of the local bars. It was known by everyone in the town that Vice President Sinclair had purchased the Dyce Head Lighthouse years ago and restored it, and that he used the lighthouse as a getaway from Washington. While almost no one knew for sure, everyone suspected that Sinclair would retire to Castine and his lighthouse after his second term as Vice President ended. Today, however, was an unusual Monday evening. The Office of The Vice President released a statement that Sinclair would make a major announcement from his lighthouse in Maine. It was widely believed that he was either going to endorse former Secretary of State Jackson Fitzgerald or retired General Henry Sharp for President of the United States.

The national media had descended on Castine and Dyce Head. Hundreds of reporters from Maine and around the country were setting up cameras and lighting on the lawn in front of the Vice President's home as an American flag hanging on the front porch gently moved in the breeze. Vice President Sinclair was standing in the living room next to United States Senator Olympia Snowe. The worst-kept secret in Washington was that Sinclair, who had been married once before but lost his wife in an accident, and Snowe, who had been married but lost her husband to the attack on the Capitol in 1997, were in a relationship.

The Vice President was wearing a black three-piece suit with a white shirt, dark blue tie, and an American flag lapel pin. A gold chain was clipped to his vest and stretched out to a small pocket in his vest which contained an old pocket watch. Sinclair pulled it out and opened it. He checked the time and took in a deep breath, and then exhaled.

"Did you speak with your father?" Olympia asked gently as she picked off a few pieces of lint from Sinclair's suit.

"I did," Sinclair said as he made a conservative smile. "He said that he and my mother are proud of me... and then he asked if I could get him some of the good blue cheese from the grocery store," Sinclair said, chuckling.

Sinclair looked through the screen door to the porch and could see the podium that had been put in place for him. It had the seal of the Vice President on it, and enough room for him to set down his speech which he had typed on his typewriter yesterday afternoon. Olympia reached up and straightened Sinclair's tie, "You're going to do wonderful."

At 7:00 P.M. the Vice President stepped outside to a crowd of reporters who had been sitting on lines of foldable, metal chairs. All of the reporters stood up and photographers began taking pictures of Sinclair. The Vice President bent down below the door frame to his home, which he was just a bit too tall for. He set his speech down and looked at the assembly of reporters as the journalists kept their cameras pointed at him. He gave the journalists thirty or so seconds in case any of the channels were breaking into their regularly scheduled programming. Senator Snowe was standing behind Sinclair in the background while the American flag occasionally came into frame next to him as he started to speak. On the other side of Sinclair was John Baldacci, the current Democratic Governor of Maine and a good friend of Sinclair. One of the two United States Senators from Connecticut, Democrat Richard Blumenthal, was standing next to the Governor of Maine. A couple of Republicans were also in the background as well. Sinclair's objective was to show that he had bi-partisan support and that he did not sway to either political party.


"Good evening, my fellow Americans. I am speaking to you from my home near Castine, in the State of Maine... Since 1997, President Al Gore has led the United States through a national crisis and several incidents domestically, and around the world. He led our country through the war in Turkey, in which not a single American was killed. He survived an attempt on his life in 2002, and now he is finishing his second term as President. Since President Gore asked if I would be willing to serve as Vice President in 1998, I have done my absolute best to guide the United States Senate in the right direction for the American People, while also assisting the President and the Federal Government in whatever way I can. While we will be talking about the future this evening, I wanted to give my sincere thanks to President Gore for the sacrifices he has made for our nation.

"The United States has a healthy and functioning government, economy, and armed forces, but internally, we are still recovering from the attack on the United States Capitol in 1997. We lost virtually all of our elder statesmen in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. New Americans have taken up the mantle to serve as senators and congressmen, but there is still a lack of experience in the Congress. I have done my best to help guide the next generation during my time as Vice President, in my constitutional duty as President of the Senate, but I have to thank great statesmen like Senator Olympia Snowe, who is standing next to me tonight. She returned to the Senate after the attack and has represented Maine well since her return. We also have rising stars in the Senate among us tonight, like Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

"There has been a lot of speculation about what my statements tonight are about... I have thought a lot about what I wanted to say to all of you, while the American People are watching. Our country is in a new age, in a period of change that is unprecedented in human history. One-hundred years ago, the Wright brothers made their first flight in North Carolina. Just sixty-five years later, the first Americans landed on the Moon. Since then, our country has made incredible advancements in medicine, construction, and countless inventions that have changed the world. We have entered, what I am told, will be called the 'Information Age.' The internet is a bountiful source of almost all the known information ever garnered by mankind. More and more people have access to the internet every day, and it, along with computer technology, will change the world in ways that we cannot even imagine right now.

"Americans today will find themselves in a totally different world in ten years from now, and an even more different world ten years after that. In many ways we cannot stop change, and we would be fools to try to stifle innovation, but what we must do is remember what has made our country such an exceptional place and what has allowed the American People to prosper more than any people sine the Romans: freedom to peruse one's happiness, general liberty, and a democratically elected government of the people, by the people, and for the American People. We have safeguarded our sacrosanct intuitions from nepotism, corporations, and corruption. The problems that our country has to deal with often pale in comparison to other developed countries around the world, but at the same time we must keep pushing forward to keep it that way.

"The United States, the American People, must seriously consider where we want the state of our Union to be in a decade from now. We should consider how we are going to address the growing concerns of healthcare, immigration, and the economic health of the middle class. What our country needs is a dedication, from the White House and the Congress, to strengthen and grow the middle class, to bring well-paying jobs back to the United States, and to restore the manufacturing centers of our country. The Federal Government, now more than ever, should be focused on how to help the American People, especially those who are struggling to pay their bills each month. With a better economy will come better jobs and better pay. With all of that will come a better country for us and the next generation.

"I have seen a constant, grueling squabble between Republicans and Democrats that has gotten worse since I was first elected to Congress. Only President Gore was able to somewhat reverse the tide of what has become a more polarized country. This polarization is not what will bring our country greatness. In the past, compromise and unity is what has allowed us to prosper, along with decisive leadership. While we are in a rapidly changing world, sometimes we need to taste the past to remember why we are here in the first place, and what we need to do to continue to march on into the future. My fellow Americans, what we need to do in order to see a better tomorrow is not too complicated after all. We can all take part in the next great step of our republic by setting aside our political differences and focusing on what we can do to put our country on track to make the twenty-first century another American century. We have the people, we have the ability, and we have the tools to do that, and much more.

"That is why, today, I am announcing my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States of America.

"Richard Blumenthal and I are ready to set party politics aside and dedicate ourselves, on our sacred honor, to you. We want to jumpstart the American economy, we want to make our great cities the envy of the world even more than they are today, and we want to improve the life of the everyday American. In our short history we have never shied away from doing what is right, we never cower in fear when confronted with chaos and crisis. We persevere because we're Americans! It's in the DNA of all 290-million of us... All that I ask for in return is for your vote in November so that we can all bring forth an American Renaissance."

​

 

[ManBear]

The Polish News Agency(or the Polska Agencja Prasowa) had chosen the less economical but more well mannered approach of renting a room at a local hotel instead of camping out on the roads and lawn of the Vice President of the United States in preparation of the speech. With no inkling as to what the true purpose behind the press conference was, Dora Duda had no real prepared questions for the Vice President but she banked on her ability to adapt to situations quickly after the Vatican Incident to come up with quick questions. Alongside her were a videographer who manned a video camera as well as a photographer who was preparing to begin taking snapshots of the Vice President during the speech. It would seem no one present was prepared for the Independent's declaration for President. Shutters and flashes could be heard throughout the premises as what was probably dozens of reporters clamored for the hot take, Dora was no different.

"My Vice President. Dora Duda from the Polish Press Agency. With many foreign nations worried about the Republican nominee's stance on foreign politics, what is your agenda towards dealing with foreign allies?"

Odinson

 

[Odinson]

After taking a series of questions, the Vice President called on Dora Duda who was well known in some circles for reporting on the crisis in the Vatican. Sinclair listened to her question carefully and didn't have any issue answering it. The tall silver fox gripped the side of his podium and leaned forward, just a bit, as he looked at Dora and spoke in a clear, articulate New England voice.

"That is an important question that has a simple answer, and I am happy to be direct about your country in particular: the Kingdom of Poland is a friend of the United States. In my two terms as Vice President, I am not aware of a single time where Poland wronged the United States or took advantage of us. On the contrary, the Polish government has worked with the Federal Government on numerous occasions and, at times, has gone out of its way to be helpful. It is my sincere belief that alliances with a handful of trusted nations, such as Poland, are crucial to American foreign policy. The biggest successes that the United States has had, internationally, during the Gore Administration were ones that involved direct cooperation with other militaries or other governments. We can sway our weight and typically get what we want, but just like President Gore, I value working with our international partners and friends - it pays dividends.

"To take that a step further, I think it is important that we consider what we may be able to gain by working with former adversaries as well. I don't need to delve into the complicated relationship that the United States and Russia have had. However, I do remember Russian and American forces fighting together, on the same side, in the war against Turkey. I remember the nations of the world coming together when we realized the atrocities that were being committed by that autocratic regime. We have to continue to cherish the alliances with those handful of countries that we can trust, without reservation; but we also need to nurture relationships with some countries that we may not see as natural allies, such as Russia. A world where the United States and Russia can work together to keep the global peace, and to make the world a better place, is a world that I can see on the horizon. The Russians have given us nothing but good will, and I would be willing to do the same if I were elected President.

"With all of that being said my focus is still, first and foremost, on what is best for the American People and what we can do to make their everyday lives better. Thank you for your question."

With that, the event was concluded. The Vice President and the assembled leaders and representatives returned inside, and the Secret Service would see to it that all of the press would leave the Vice President's property within thirty minutes.