Do Not Pray for Easy Lives

Israel

Israel

Milwaukee, WI

"...go!"

Humphrey kisses the baby, handing her back to her mother. He and Muriel proceed to board the bus, the supporters waving them off. Momentarily, the doors close behind them and the bus leaves the park, and the small rally, behind them.

"Back to the hotel," explained James Rowe. Humphrey sighed in relief.

"Kennedy... I can't compete with him."

"Come on," said Muriel. "We've got momentum."

"We do all right."

"Sure, sure, but I tell you once... once the press moves on, everyone will, and we'll be back behind."

"Which is why we got to take advantage of this!"

"Aren't we already?"

Rowe chuckles.

"We need to talk more about than... than how he didn't vote for that bill in `57, I... I mean, for fuck's sake, he was a buddy of McCarthy."

"We should call him a Republican?"

"Why not, huh?"

"If we start making this into a... a negative campaign, it will kill what we're trying to-"

"Hump," he interrupted, "we've gotta defeat Kennedy, and this... this, here, is only the start. The voters, they need to know who this guy really is!"

"I just don't feel like giving up on... on the issues! We should try to use this... this momentum to get attention to what we're saying about the problems in this country."

"There's gonna be plenty of time for that when we're going up against Nixon, but... but now, we gotta win this thing. Kennedy, he's... he's got money, the press... we have to pull out whatever we have to take him out, and we need to do it now."

"So we win here... so we win here, then what in West Virginia, then?"

"West Virginia's later... if you wanna be President, you gotta do this... for us."

Humphrey groans.

"West Virginia better be easier."
 
Israel

Israel

Appleton, WI

"... much! Thank you, I..."

John enters the back of the Lincoln.

"How... how many people were that?"

"Why you asking me? I ain't the coordinator."

"Let's just get going."

The car pulls out.

"So how we doing on control?"

Robert grumbled.

"Fine... fine, so far."

"What'd you mean by that?"

"The fucker won't let go, he... he's calling in favors, or his buds are calling in favors, trying to... to get his message."

"That I don't care about Negroes?"

"That you might as well be on the other side."

"Fuck..."

"Yeah, well, it's just favors, anyhow... we've got the lead in funding."

"Come on, this... this will become a thing."

"I said, it's only a bit of screen time, he... he'll make a mess, and we'll make sure it's cleaned up."

"And by the time we move on-"

"Don't worry about moving on, I'll manage that."

John nods.

"Where now?"

"You got another rally across town."

"Hmm... well, maybe we'll get a bit more screen time ourselves."
 
Israel

Israel

Milwaukee, WI

The phone rings, Muriel picks it up.

"Hello?"

"Rowe's on the line."

"Fine... one sec."

She calls to Hubert, who comes from the bathroom.

"Yeah, Jim."

"Hump, I've been... been talking all... yeah, as much as possible, anyway, and..."

"What?"

"I don't think we're gonna get as much ad time as we needed."

"How much?"

"Not enough to make much of a difference."

"How much did we need?"

"Multiple screenings at prime, for at least the... at least the week."

"They're not re-running any of my speeches?"

"Not really, it's died down..."

"Great..."

"Hump?"

"What."

"Well, there's Nelson."

Humphrey pauses.

"You think he'd give us his endorsement?"

"I don't know, I... I sure hope."

"Schedule a meeting. Doesn't have to be public, just... just five minutes to talk to him."

"All right, I'll check with his office."

"Good."
 
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