Manhattan Reborn 1978

new York.

Manhattan.

Wall Street, Stanley [-]th Floor.

Maggie, the little secretary, brought coffee to David and Odis Parker. After briefly explaining today’s work arrangements, she closed the door and went out~

Mr. Parker took a sip of his coffee, raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "The coffee you have here is pretty good!"

"Hahaha~ Don't you mean you don't understand these things?"

"Haha~ Good thing, I can still distinguish them clearly..."

"Hahaha~"

. . .

Mr. Parker put down his cup, pondered for a few seconds, and asked.

"Now that you have a plan to build a network, what's your goal? Do you already have a choice?"

David took a sip of coffee, put down the cup, and shook his head helplessly: "We have a plan, the best goal, and how to execute it... but still have no clue."

Mr. Parker smiled, crossed his legs, and said slowly: "I have a very good candidate, do you want to hear about it?"

"Tell me~"

"Richard Milhouse Nixon!"

"What?" David's eyes almost widened!

"He? Are you sure?"

"Hahaha~"

"I'm sure!"

"Uh... you continue, I'm listening."

The smile on Mr. Parker's lips grew wider and he continued: "When Nixon was young, after graduating from Duke University, he came to New York to find a job."

"After he hit a wall in New York to no avail, he returned to his hometown of Whittier, California to look for opportunities and entered a law firm. After working for a short period of time, he became one of the partners of the law firm."

"After the outbreak of the Pacific War, he joined the Price Administration of the federal government."

"After working for a period of time, he joined the U.S. Navy and was sent to serve in the South Pacific Airlift Team. It was not until March 46 that he retired with the rank of colonel and returned home."

"It was also the 46th year that he returned home, and an opportunity was presented to him!"

"Is it worth spending all your savings and taking huge risks to fight for the position of House of Representatives?"

"Nixon thought it was worth it. The members of Congress were too attractive to him!"

"In November 46, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives."

"Four years later, he won himself a precious seat in the Senate!"

"Successful in the two elections, he was like a gambler. He felt that he was favored by the goddess of luck, so he simply set his goal higher~Vice President!"

Mr. Parker paused briefly, took a sip of coffee, and continued:

"But what he didn't expect was that a huge crisis made him almost give up on his political dreams."

"Fund incident!"

"According to reports at the time, Nixon received an annual stipend of $2, which was funded by donations from 100 California entrepreneurs."

"Actually, it is very common for the business community to provide financial support to politicians and then do things for them that are beneficial to them. It is just an open secret~"

"Due to the rapid rise of Nixon at that time, his foundation was not stable, and the interests of some people were touched. In addition, coupled with the huge temptation of the position of vice president, his competitors seized on this small matter and used various methods against him. A whole series of suppression~"

"Nixon, how did you respond?"

"Hehe~"

"His career is too smooth! He is also too careless and impatient!"

"In the face of repeated attacks and big eyes, Nixon had almost no power to fight back. He was so tortured that he was haggard and exhausted, and he almost gave up the campaign."

"But he wants to quit, but he can't make the decision alone!"

“At that time, Dewey, one of the powerful figures in the Elephant Party, called him and told him that he would give a televised speech to the country, personally acknowledge all the details of the donation fund incident, and then use lawyers, accountants, etc. to prove that all the donations were spent. Once there, how much was spent, whether there were any personal benefits, etc.”

"In the end, the public reaction after the televised speech will determine whether Nixon will stay or go!"

"Not long after, Eisenhower, who was running for president, also called Nixon and said that he would not publicly support his continued candidacy. It would be up to Nixon to decide based on the development of the gaffe."

"The Elephant Party was unwilling to see Nixon being nominated as the vice presidential candidate, but fell under the opponent's series of tricks, and urgently took out a sum of funds to buy him half an hour of TV. Live broadcast time.”

"At this point, the first major crisis in Nixon's life has a chance to reverse~"

Mr. Parker looked at David with a smile and waited patiently for his questions.

David frowned, stared at Otis Parker and asked: "If, when we were on the street just now, I didn't say I regretted it... would you still tell me this?"

"Hahaha~"

"will not!"

"Then...you just wait to see me fall?"

Mr. Parker shook his head: "Like Nixon, the only person who can make you fall is yourself~"

"What I can do... is just to help you find an opportunity to turn things around."

David tilted his head and thought for a while, shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands and said, "I understand~ You can continue."

"Hehe~"

The expression on Mr. Parker's face was more relaxed, and he smiled and said: "You should know everything about what happened after the fund incident~"

"After all, he is a president, and many of his personal secrets have been revealed by the gossip media~"

"After Nixon was elected vice president, before he could adjust his mood and enjoy the joy of victory... the interest struggle between various factions once again put him in a state of exhaustion and anxiety~"

Mr. Parker joked with a smile on his face: "I once heard someone compare the American political scene in the 50s to two groups of fighting cocks fighting each other."

"If someone doesn't like him, he will jump up and bite him a few times, regardless of whether the other person is his comrade or ally."

"Hahaha~" David was amused and laughed.

Mr. Parker also smiled and shook his head: "You can imagine how bad the situation of Mr. Nixon, the then Vice President, must be~"

. . .

After laughing.

Mr. Parker slowly put away his smile, calmly slowed down his speaking speed, and continued.

"Just now, we were talking about the Powell Declaration on the road."

"The time he issued that memo coincided with President Nixon's administration."

"Two months later, Nixon nominated him to be a Supreme Court justice."

"These things that seem very confusing to many people, if connected in series, many hidden problems can be discovered."

"Nixon was a conservative with a strong personal style!"

"In 1968, with the support of the business community, he won the opportunity to enter the presidential palace."

"He himself is a fanatical fan of American industrial and commercial giants~"

"Maag once told me that he privately considered himself to be an extremely pro-business president."

"However, I think he is a political pragmatist."

"My judgment itself was reflected in the important time period he was in and the various crises affecting the country and the world at that time."

"So what he conveyed in his gatherings with business leaders was inconsistent with the position he expressed in public and his attitude on legislation."

"For example: In order to cater to the high-profile and popular popularity of civil environmentalism, he led the large-scale expansion of government regulatory powers and established several new regulatory departments and related committees."

"The most well-known agency, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is responsible for protecting the natural environment and people from environmental hazards."

(Now renamed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it is an independent administrative agency of the federal government.)

"In order to support the EPA, he also issued a series of environmental protection bills such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Safe Drinking Water and Designed Pesticides and Other Toxic Substances Control Act."

"In addition to the EPA, he created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is responsible for ensuring workplace safety."

"The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) formulates standards and regulations on the safety of consumer products and supervises their implementation."

"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the peak government agency responsible for automobile safety."

"The Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration (mesa), responsible for mine safety and health management."

Mr. Parker paused for a few seconds. Seeing that David quickly followed his story, he continued to preach.

"In addition to all of the above, he has expanded the powers of the Federal Trade Commission and launched an important initiative to protect working class pensions."

“In 1974, after Nixon resigned, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act was finally officially enacted by President Gerald Ford.”

"After hearing this, you may have questions - Was Nixon really an environmentalist?"

"Hehe~"

"In the words of the first EPA administrator he appointed, William Ruckelshaw."

"President Nixon, I never asked him, is the air really dirty? Is there any problem with the water quality? What has the EPA been busy with recently?"

"And he claimed to have promulgated the Clean Water Act. In fact, when he was about to win the election in 72, he casually vetoed it~"

“The bill was later approved by the pro-environmental protection lawmakers in Congress, who bypassed Nixon’s veto after the election and voted in favor with a strong bipartisan majority. This environmental bill was finally passed.”

“Subsequently, Congress enacted a large number of brand new regulations, stipulating strict pollution limit standards and determining the penalties for violators, making this bill more complete and more in line with the reality, and also It’s more enforceable.”

Mr. Parker smiled playfully: "But... I said it just now."

"Nixon has many friends in various industries and business circles~"

"Those big polluters who were appeased by Nixon thought that was all they really needed to do."

"Just wait and see what happens!"

"Wait until public opinion subsides, until public concern disappears, and until the entanglement of environmentalists slowly fades away, then we can resume operations and production in a low-key manner."

"But they were wrong!"

"Big mistake!"

"David, tell me, which industry today doesn't discharge some wastewater when producing?"

"Textile, papermaking, steel, electronics, plastics, mining, leather, fertilizer, pesticide, oil, chemical-related enterprises, and even pig and chicken raising will discharge some sewage that does not comply with the environmental protection act."

"Even the wastewater discharged from a factory that makes chocolate and candy is a great pollution to the environment."

"These factories have existed for dozens or hundreds of years, and they have always been like this~"

"What now? After Nixon came to power, he promulgated a series of environmental protection bills in order to cater to those environmentalists who were having fun."

“Who is the ultimate beneficiary?”

"Ordinary people!"

"Any more?"

"What about his friends from the business community who have given him such strong support?"

"Hehe~"

"So, you can understand why, after the Powell Declaration, friends from the business community gathered together so quickly to form an unprecedentedly large lobbying group to fight for their own interests, right?"

David smiled vaguely, nodded and said: "If Nixon dares to trick me like this... I will definitely twist off his head!"

"Hahaha~"

"You don't need to do it ~ someone has already done it!"

David showed an expression that was indeed true, and asked with great interest: "Watergate incident?"

"not only!"

"The root cause of that incident was not just that he disappointed his friends in the business community and hated him so much..."

"Two more reasons!"

"I have some information on this in my hand. If you want to see it, I can give it to you at any time!"

"Uh...forget it!"

"Just listen to this kind of thing. I just want to satisfy my curiosity~"

"Look into it... for me, it's not necessary!"

"Hehe~"

Mr. Parker showed a "devil" smile, raised his eyebrows and whispered.

"I got some interesting stuff from Hardman."

"It's very useful to you!"

"It is an absolutely heavy bargaining chip!"

"do you want to see?"

David narrowed his eyes slightly and shook his head simply: "No!"

"Really not?"

"If you don't look at it, I'm going to destroy them~"

"..dont see!"

"Haha~ Okay! Very good!"

Mr. Parker nodded with great satisfaction and said with a smile: "Being able to control your curiosity and desires is very valuable for you at such a young age!"

"I might as well tell you a little bit~"

"Kennedy!"

"fxxx!"

"Stop it!"

"I don't want to hear anything! Don't say anything either!" David simply covered his ears, turned his head and shouted in a low voice.

"If I don't ask about the secrets in your head, you can take them all to heaven~"

"I won't listen! Don't tell anyone either!"

"I know too many secrets...if someone discovers me, I will die quickly!"

"Hahahaha~" Mr. Parker laughed as if he was nervous~

David, who was covering his ears, seemed to be able to hear something that had been suppressed for a long time from Odis Parker's laughter. .Cheerful and melancholy~?

He slowly put down his hands and stared at Mr. Parker seriously and doubtfully for a few seconds, then showed a look of understanding.

Is this guy just a psychopath because he has too many secrets in his heart and can't tell them?

Emm. .

That’s why, that’s right!

. . .

After the laughter.

David waited for Mr. Parker to slowly return to normal before he frowned and asked.

"I'm going to see Nixon...can he help me?"

"of course can!"

Mr. Parker poured himself a cup of coffee, took a big sip, and smiled.

“Do you know about the Former Presidents Act?”

"Well... I think I've heard a little bit about it."

"Hehe~"

"The first beneficiary of the Former Presidents Act was President Truman."

"Its core content, to sum up, is nothing more than two points: guarantee, protection and rights and obligations!"

"Before this bill was enacted, the outgoing presidents had to rely on themselves to solve their sources of income. In terms of personal safety, they were not fully guaranteed."

"Therefore, the Former Presidents Act stipulates that the outgoing president and his family members will be protected by National Security Agency agents for life, including their children under the age of 16."

"The bill also stipulates that the former president can receive pension income provided by the state every year, and his spouse can also receive a fixed pension income if he is willing to give up his pension."

"Also, they can live for free in the presidential townhouse at 716 Jackson Square in Washington."

"They can get a new office and allow it to be set up anywhere in the country - the equipment, office supplies and staff expenses for this office are all paid for by the government."

"Former presidents can also enjoy the latest and most advanced medical resources in the country, ensuring that they will not be tortured by diseases in their later years~"

"Of course, behind these benefits, there are also corresponding costs."

Mr. Parker ""