Page 16 of Dirty Politics

Liv: We need to challenge him in the next primary. He doesn’t deserve his Senate seat.

Val: He is very powerful; he has raised enormous amounts of money.

Liv: (growling sound) It shouldn’t be about who has the most money or whose brother is the President.

Val: He’s very popular.

Liv: Hewasvery popular. I’m seeing online that people are paying attention. They are tired of politicians who are just interested in big money and lobbyists and corporate interests. They want politicians who work for them.

Val: Are you running?

Liv: (silence)

Val: Do we take that as a yes?

Liv: I think someone should do it.

Val: We are going to take a little break to hear from our sponsors. After the break, Liv, will you talk to us about using social media to bolster political support?

Liv: Absolutely.

Will stopped the podcast and opened his second beer.

“What the fuck?” he said to himself as he looked at his phone; he had hundreds of new notifications.

“Just perfect,” he said, chugging his beer.

He’d missed calls from his siblings; he assumed that this had made headlines around the country. God, did he ever look like an idiot with his staffer - HIS OWN STAFFER - running around on podcasts saying she was going to primary him. He groaned and called James.

“I thought you were taking care of this,” James said when he picked up the phone.

“I thought I had,” Will answered, rubbing his temples.

“You hired her, right?”

“I did.”

“Looks like this has backfired on you,”

“No shit,” Will said, pouring himself some whisky.

“Are you going to fire her now?”

“I probably should,” he said. God, did he want to.

“Well, I don’t really have any advice.”

“Thanks,” Will said, rubbing his chin. “I’m going to drown my sorrows in some whiskey and then go to bed. I’ll deal with this in the morning.”

—

“Liv, this is bad,”Steph said.

“It’s everywhere,” Ben said, holding up his phone.

“Shit,” she said. “I’d forgotten about the Val Myers podcast; I did that interview weeks ago.”

“You need Senator Sterling to pass this bill,” Steph said.

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