Election Night

Chapter Six - Two Sides of the Same Coin

THE FRIDAY BEFORE ELECTION DAY

Cassie and Leo are seated on a bench inside the town courthouse's waiting area. They are here to try to get their confiscated video equipment back from the police. After doing a Google search the night before, Cassie discovered that a conversation with the district attorney is required in order for that to happen. As her and Leo wait to be called in to the D.A.'s office, Cassie is watching the television set, mounted up high in the waiting area.

A Mack MacKinnon ad is playing.

The commercial makes Cassie want to gag. And she's voting for him. MacKinnon paints Wilford like a town on the rise. Slow motion shots of picket fences. Kids playing. Thriving businesses and safe streets. 

What a joke.

The ad ends with a closeup of Mack MacKinnon's grinning face, as he spits out his campaign slogan for the trillionth time this week.

"Come on, Wilford! Great things are just beginning!"

The balls on this guy.

That's what she's thinking but she can't say it out loud. Because she knows what the alternative is...

Clora fucking Dean...

A loud and proud stay-at-home mom who came out of nowhere to challenge the mayor for his third term, Clora Dean gained instant notoriety with her strong rhetoric of God, guns and American values. Her Twitter account - which revealed a long history of incendiary jokes and derogatory comments about gays, immigrants and liberals in general - immediately set off the collective alarm amongst Wilford's left wing population. Despite having no experience in politics whatsoever, her quick tongue and outspoken opinions have attracted a rabid right wing fan-base, as well as an equal share of very passionate detractors.

Do you remember that big and furry man who spat in that Hispanic woman's face, yesterday morning? He's part of that rabid fan base. And he's here, in the courtroom waiting area. God only knows for what. But Big n' Furry walks by the TV and stops to look at Mack MacKinnon's grinning mug.

"This communist piece of shit," he says, loud enough for everyone in the waiting area to hear. "And anyone who votes for him is a communist piece of shit, too!"

As he marches towards the courtroom, Cassie leans into Leo. "Fucking Republicans. Jesus."

"Don't fool yourself, Cassie," Leo responds, "Democrats and Republicans are just two sides of the same fucked up coin."

"That is not true."

"Please, you liberals do all the same shit conservatives do."

"Like what?"

"You both demonize the other party."

Cassie's face says, that's bullshit.

"You both pick and choose which constitutional rights you'll fight for."

"Okay, maybe that's true," Cassie says, "but the founding fathers clearly didn't foresee assault rifles when they wrote the second amendment."

"You're both anti-science when it suits your agenda."

Cassie jumps in, "That is total horseshit! Liberals are not the ones denying climate change! Or evolution! Despite the overwhelming consensus of science."

"Overwhelming consensus of science also says that genetically modified food is safe for human consumption. Did you know that?"

Cassie makes a face. "That's so not true, where did you hear that?"