America for President 11

AN: I feel one of these is necessary here. Alfred's political views are not my own. I tried to go very moderate in all of his views, so he was neither one party nor the other. Additionally, anything Alfred talks about is in the future tense. I have no idea what the future holds, so I tried to make that as ambiguous as possible. Ie: The Supreme Court could have gone either way.

Matthew sighed and closed his phone as soon as he saw the check indicating his email had sent. Belarus was a nation he wasn't particularly fond of talking to, but desperate times called for such measures. Not that he would say he was desperate; not by a long shot. He was just being cautious. He couldn't let anything get in the way of Alfred's success. He promised he would help him win. He looked over at Alfred, who was smiling as he talked to Russia about something. Russia, he noted, was straightening out Alfred's already straight tie, and neither of them seemed to notice. He rolled his eyes as he walked over.

"Alright Al, remember, the state is still horribly divided on the gay marriage issue, regardless of what the Supreme Court said. They're going to be interested in what your thoughts on the rights of gays to marry are, and you're bound to get at least one question about it." Alfred nodded as he slowly turned his gaze over to Matthew.

"Uh, right…Anything else I should expect?" Matthew looked at his checklist.

"Other things that seem to be big issues to the state are the deficit, both state and federal, immigration issues…" Alfred nodded, waving a hand.

"Right, of course." Alfred scratched the back of his head. Did he have a policy on anything? He'd been avoiding giving any kind of a solid answer up until now. Everything in his mind seemed to lean to one party or the other. That was the point of being a moderate in the Independence Party, he supposed. He didn't expect everyone to like him, or agree with him. And he wasn't going to soapbox this. He couldn't guarantee his ideas were any better than anything out there already. But he would know – would feel – if it was working. He could shift course easily; more so than someone following party lines. Would that be enough for the people though? Could he sell himself on flexibility to try new ideas, when other parties gained their success on strong, unmovable, and ultimately divisive lines? A hand in his hair broke him out of his thoughts.

"You are messing up your hair, right before you go out to talk to your people. That will not do, da? Now is not the time to question yourself. It does not suit you." Alfred looked at the owner of the hand and smiled.

"Thanks Ivan." He looked at Matthew and nodded a bit before walking out to face the citizens from the state of California. They had gathered at the campus of the University of California in Berkeley to get his answers to their questions, and he would do his best to provide them. He walked out, and waved, welcoming the mixed response from the large crowd.

Matthew turned as he walked out and frowned. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, Russia, but just remember that he asked me to be his First Lady, no matter how much you beg." Russia just smiled and brought a hand down on his head.

"That may be so, Canada, but you also turned him down. He told me about how you punched him. It stings, da? Realizing you wanted something you had thrown away? How does the saying go? Ah. One man's trash is another man's treasure, da?" Matthew scowled, but any retort was cut off by clapping outside as a student approached the microphone. He turned, looking to see how Alfred would handle his questions.

"Mr. Jones…as you know, for the past few years, there has been a lot of controversy across the country, but especially here in California regarding Proposition 8. Recently, there have been allegations that you are in a homosexual relationship with Canada, so I was wondering what your stance on gay marriage is, and if it will affect your policies."

Alfred blinked a few times. "Wow. That's a loaded question, huh? But you know, I'm not gonna lie about anything here. I'm going to just be straight up with all of you, and if you don't like what you hear, that's fine. I'm not changing who I am everywhere I go to get votes. As to the allegations, there is some truth to that. He was, in fact, the first person I asked to be whatever the male equivalent of a First Lady would be, but he turned me down." He paused as a murmur ran through the crowd. "And that's fine. I wouldn't want to get married to anyone, male or female, just to have a trophy figure by my side. That's not why I asked Canada, either. I think that you really have to love someone to ask them something like that, because that's a huge commitment. A promise."

Matthew blinked as he listened. Alfred was promising to be committed to him, and he turned it down. His hands clenched at his sides. He glanced over at Russia, who was just listening quietly, an impassive expression on his face. Alfred started talking again and he turned to listen.

"As to my stance on gay marriage…who cares? As far as I'm concerned, marriage is different from matrimony. Marriage is a function of the state for civil purposes. Matrimony is a religious ceremony. One of the sacraments, even. So, if your religion says that gay matrimony is wrong, that's your church's stance and your moral decision. But that shouldn't be law. As for my policies? I think there are much bigger problems the country is facing right now, than whether or not people can get married." He looked around and pointed to a woman as the crowd murmured in mixed approval.

The woman walked over to the microphone. "We have one of the biggest state deficits in the country. What are you going to do to help us and reduce the astronomical national debt?"

Alfred rubbed his forehead. "Well, of course everyone is concerned with the state of the economy. It's why I decided to run for office in the first place. Us nations, when our economy is flagging, we get sick. I've been sick for a long time now. Behold the wonders of makeup and charisma!" He grinned as the crowd applauded and chuckled. "But seriously, I think that what we have to do is encourage businesses to come back to the country, instead of outsourcing work. And I think people have to realize that money doesn't come out of nowhere. Everyone wants the government to provide this, that and the other thing, but no one wants to give any money for it to happen. So instead we run up these huge debts that we have to pay off. I'm not saying I'm raising taxes to astronomical proportions, though I'm sure that the media will spin it that way. Once we can figure out how to balance the national budget, the states' will follow suit, I'm sure. If not, at least our slate will be cleared to dig in our heels and help you address it. I don't want to leave anyone hanging."

Alfred walked over to the empty stool in the middle of the room and sat down, moving his hand in a sweeping motion over the crowd. "We are the United States. United we stand, divided we fall. I really believe that. One state's problems aren't their own. They are everyone's. California won't be forgotten because another state has a company offering a bit more money for my personal use."

He sighed, slouching a bit in his seat as he thought, before looking up again. "I've already said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm not accepting corporate donations. I am using the public election fund for my campaign. You won't see hundreds of commercials from me. I'm not driving a personal envoy of my crew around in tour buses. I have volunteer staff members, who are working in offices across the country because they want to see me win. I have Canada, the best personal assistant and campaign manager the world could ever ask for. I only regret that he's not American or I'd be begging him on hands and knees to be my Vice President. Now, I have Russia, who has been trying to help me understand the world's problem with me, and understand the issues that get overlooked here sometimes. That's my staff. I am relying on you, all of you, to decide whether you like me or not; whether you think I can do it. Can I do what I have to, to keep myself from getting sick – keep this nation from failing? If you think so, tell your friends and family about me. Ask them to do the same. I hope to find out more about you tonight. I hope you learn more about me. Write me letters, send me emails, and make videos on the internet to let me know what is important to you."

Matthew nodded as he listened, making notes on his answers. He wasn't sure that Alfred was entirely answering the questions people were asking him, but at least he was being truthful about what he was saying.