Well. Whoa. Political rally' More like a rock concert - it's dark, with sweeping spotlights. An elevated podium is set in front of a massive background, but even that is hard to make out. A spotlight points out the one visible man - Vikram Ambani, the perpetual right hand, now atop the podium and ready to speak to the crowd. Everything else is shrouded in darkness - other than the chatter of the crowd, it's impossible to know how many people are even there. He begins a little hesitantly.
"Honored guests, visiting dignitaries, fellow Party members, people of Rhydin. Thank you for attending. As you know, the primary election begins on the 11th. We wanted to speak to you about the different candidates, especially about our own Mr. Iskandorj." He looks so absurdly small, against a giant field of the night.
"Mr. Iskandorj - Anastas - is a good friend of mine. I think I know him best, of all the people here. Before I met him, I was a dilettante. I was given the world at birth, the best education money could buy and a high-paying cushy job. I lived only for myself, taking from the world but giving nothing back, wallowing in obscene luxury. The only thing on my mind was my next meal and my next new toy. It was a hollow existence, but I didn't know any better."
"When I met Mr. Iskandorj - when I met Anastas - everything changed. He showed me how I could make a difference in the world, how I could leave something behind for my daughter besides an inheritence. I remember when I was . . . well, I remember when I was in a very low part of my life. He gave me advice that I try to keep with me at all times. 'Vikram, my friend,' he said to me, 'doing the right thing always hurts. It's always slow and difficult, and taking the easy way out is always tempting. But as long as you stay on the path of goodness, you will never doubt yourself. Since then, I've been at his side through thick and thin."
Suddenly, spotlights snap on. Above his head are large pictures of each candidate, arranged in a line from left to right. Each of these pictures is larger than little Vikram, trying valiantly to compete with them. Anastas's picture is not there.
"So these are your choices. They have offered themselves up as options to lead you. It's a momentous choice, isn't it' We all are the people together, and we have to make this choice carefully. Let's look at them. Scrutinize them."
"Some of them, despite looking and sounding different, come from the same camp and make the same offer. Whether they bring money or a private army or even just their personal contacts, the offer is the same each time. Submit to them, let them make your decisions for you, and they'll use their money or their magic or their army to protect you. Those resources are, of course, accountable to them and answerable only to them. All you have to do is sign away your freedom. And it is your freedom, ladies and gentlemen - these machine bosses want nothing more than to add you to their private fiefs."
The spotlights shut out the pictures of Cor, Karen Wilder, Khaine Levaque, Alia Anor, and Karen Wilder.
"Now that we've dealt with the authoritarians, who have we left' A whole bunch of high-minded rhetoric, that's what. First we have one special case - a refusal to even think about the responsibilities of government, preferring instead to take refuge in the mental utopia of anarchy. What does that mean to the hungry, to the poor, to the frightened" Nothing. It is the death of altruism, the end of the social safety net, the obliteration of public safety. Instead, we have society as an armed camp, inevitably turning into a small chain of dictatorships, ripe for conquest by foreign powers. The destruction of the nation-state is the destruction of security, replaced by a perpetual tragedy of the commons. The proof is in the pudding - all small, utopian states either exist inside larger and more legitimate ones, or are eventually swallowed up by them. The very purpose of government is to keep a monopoly on physical violence - if that monopoly is repealed, then what will replace it' And will it be accountable to you? And if that isn't what he's saying, well . . . what is he saying" What are his promises?"
The portrait of Stitch goes dark.
"And then there's somebody else without a plan. A nice enough young lady, but what does she know about politics, about law or economics or anything else? Statecraft requires education or at least experience, and the young lady here has neither of those. So, of course, somebody else is going to step in and 'give her a hand.' But who' Do we know" Is that person on the ballot' I think nothing more need be said."
The portrait of Jade goes dark.
"Only three left. One of them is pushing for a super-powerful shield that will protect everybody from explosives. And where's that going to come from' Getting something like that would bankrupt us dozens of times over. Self-defense classes" Learning judo won't protect anyone from the kind of violence we've seen. Better standards of living without taxes" Where's that going to come from' The plan is nothing but vapor. Is he going to use his own powers to realize all this" Then what?s the difference between him and the other machine bosses?"
The portrait of Theron goes dark.
"One of them hasn't offered a plan at all. Just more rhetoric; just more vague promises. How can we vote for someone if we don't know what they'll do' And I mean specifics. It's easy to make generic comments about 'a better Watch' and 'more businesses.' How's it going to come about"'
The portrait of G goes dark.
"So it seems that there is only one choice left, from this group up here. But what does he really stand for" Vigilanteism! It's the man's stock and trade! Do we really want our laws made and enforced by somebody who's lived his life outside them, who's never shown them any regard" If it's wrong to murder, then it's wrong to murder. And then there's his absurdly enigmatic character. My God, the man's never even told us his real name! He goes by an obvious pseudonym. Shouldn't we demand he take the mask off before we let him rule us?"
The portrait of Wolvinator goes dark. Only Vikram is illuminated any longer.
"People of Rhydin, we have only one choice. There is only one party that can guide us through the next year!"
All the spotlights go on, illuminating the true background - a massive poster of the logo. It has never looked so powerful, its wheat sheaves reaching up into the sky, its gear enormous and imposing, its star, tiny, rising above it all.
"And there is only one man who can take lead and solve the problems in our community! Only one man who can keep us safe from the predations of the wicked! Only one man who can ensure that we find our better and brighter future! Only one man who can ensure that tomorrow belongs to everyone!"
The spotlight fixes on a point above the logo. A tiny door. Time for the big man to make his entrance. A chant goes up.
"Iskandorj! Iskandorj! Iskandorj!"
