Chapter 496: Presidential Election, Martin’s Investment

"Hello, Mr. Meyers, I'm Chris's brother—Jonathan Nolan, also a screenwriter. You can call me Jonathan."

"Hello, Jonathan. Just call me Martin. I've watched your screenplay for Memento, very interesting ideas, though a bit obscure. I had to watch it three times to understand it fully."

Did Martin just compliment me?!

Jonathan Nolan got a bit excited and quickly replied, "That was Chris's editing, honestly, my script wasn't that hard to understand."

Not sure if he's complimenting or criticizing me!

"Hahaha," Martin laughed, "Chris loves to play with the audience in his films, I can see that."

This was indeed Christopher Nolan's quirky style, Memento was like this, and later The Prestige and Inception had similar twists. The ending of Inception, with that spinning top, caused endless debates and confusion.

...

Mid-June.

The New Batman crew had moved to New York.

In a small meeting room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, Martin, the Nolan brothers, Ben Affleck, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and other main cast members were gathered, all watching the television intently.

On the screen, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who had just undergone heart surgery and was still in recovery, appeared with high energy at a Democratic Party campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Clinton smiled and enthusiastically shook hands with some of the voters, looking completely energetic despite having just undergone heart surgery.

These "political animals" sure have resilience!

He then started campaigning for Democratic candidate John Kerry.

"You must make a clear choice between two powerful men… Their policies will bring different results to this city, this state, our country, and the world… Sometimes, people have called me a child recovering from illness… In five months, John Kerry will bring America back from its suffering..."

"On security... Mr. Kerry will strengthen our military, provide more support, manage Iraq better, focus more on homeland security… He'll search more intensively for weapons of mass destruction and focus efforts on fighting terrorist organizations... In five months, John Kerry will make America an indestructible nation..."

"Our friends on the other side (Republicans) say they want a world where wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of the elite... They only cooperate with those they want, but we can do better... The Republican camp, led by George W. Bush, is trying to scare undecided voters away from John Kerry, even trying to frighten those already decided to vote from the polling booths… George W. Bush should reflect; the same mistakes should not be repeated... I believe, in five months, both Bush and I will be former presidents..."

He then talked about his health: "I feel great. My chest feels a little weak in the mornings, but after getting up and moving around, it's fine. I just sleep, walk, read books, and watch basketball—that's what I do now."

When asked if he thought John Kerry would win, Clinton replied, "I think so, but the polls are still really close."

"I know that my single voice won't change a single vote, but I hope the reasons I've given will influence a few votes."

...

After the rally ended, the television shifted to a speech by the candidate John Kerry. When the main speaker began, no one seemed to care much; they began chatting enthusiastically among themselves.

It had to be said, John Kerry's popularity didn't match up to Bill Clinton's at all.

Clinton might have stepped down, but he wasn't ousted due to losing an election, but because of a scandal created by political enemies.

Why did his enemies target him?

It was because his popularity was so high, and they couldn't beat him in an election!

Clinton, while unable to control his lower half, was one of the most beloved presidents in American history. He had excellent rhetoric, humor, and, most importantly, sharp intelligence—his great memory allowed him to dominate debates with large amounts of data, leaving his opponents speechless. The public loved this.

For example, Katie Holmes said, "Clinton is so handsome, if he were running for president, I'd definitely vote for him."

Ben Affleck added, "Clinton steals the show, he completely overshadows John Kerry. Standing next to Clinton, Kerry seems invisible."

"Of course, that's the indestructible guy!" Morgan Freeman said with a knowing smile.

When Clinton ran for president in 1992, he earned the nickname "The Comeback Kid" for his resilience in politics.

Unfortunately, "The Comeback Kid" ultimately fell to the "pomegranate skirt" of a woman!

"What do you think, Martin?" Nolan asked.

Martin replied, "The Democrats don't seem too eager to win this election. George W. Bush left a mess behind, and no one wants to clean up after him. That's why they're running John Kerry, who has average rhetoric and popularity. This guy is trailing far behind Bush, whose popularity has significantly dropped. I don't think he has much of a chance."

"This election is really a competition of who is less bad!"

Compared to the presidential race between George W. Bush and John Kerry, Martin was more focused on the upcoming congressional election. He had already made some connections with the candidate as an alumnus, even though he had never attended a class at Harvard Law School.

The candidate, Obama, was thrilled to receive Martin's support for campaign funding.

Obama was eager to connect with this famous tycoon, who was about to become his junior at Harvard.

The two had even arranged to meet in September after Harvard Law School's new term began.

The presidential election in the United States was like a national spectacle, more entertaining than the best popcorn movies—a grand show with a full entertainment quotient!

The mutual attacks between the two candidates provided plenty of gossip for the masses.

The U.S. presidential race was essentially a process of exposing scandals and tearing each other down.

For example, John Kerry claimed that George W. Bush was arrogant and not only wanted to be president but also aspired to be king of America. His evidence was that Bush frequently referred to the White House as "the president's palace." Kerry even called Bush an "ugly hermaphrodite, neither possessing the strength of a man nor the tenderness and sensitivity of a woman."

Bush quickly retaliated.

Three days later, the media exposed that, before the election, Kerry had demanded a woman leave America for personal reasons.

This "mysterious woman" was Kerry's mistress, and their affair had started in the spring of 2001 and lasted for two and a half years.

Under pressure from Kerry, the woman had to leave America before the election and went to an African country.

The media went wild, and major outlets labeled the "mysterious woman" as their top target.

The Boston Herald even republished the National Enquirer's investigation into Kerry.

The National Enquirer's report claimed that Kerry admitted to smoking marijuana and was interested in some Hollywood actresses. The report also mentioned a 22-year-old blonde woman was seen at Kerry's house late at night while Kerry's wife was not home.

Kerry then struck back, claiming that Bush was desperate to take down Bin Laden because they had once been friends (which was true, as Bin Laden had funded Bush's campaign), and that Bush had known about the 9/11 attacks in advance but did nothing to stop them in order to start a war.

Bush, in turn, mocked Kerry as a liar, a sex addict, and someone who had an affair with his subordinate's wife.

The back-and-forth continued, and the public couldn't get enough of the drama.