It's Been a Long, Long Time

“Welcome back! My guest tonight is the junior United States Senator from California. She is one of the most outspoken critics of the Superhuman Registration Act, and she’s been good enough to take time off the news channel circuit, to pay us a visit here. Please welcome to the program, Senator Verena Faustino.”

At the mention of her name, Verena pushed her shoulders back, and forced the smile she reserved for press events, onto her face. She’d been doing interviews nonstop for the last two weeks, everyday brought at least two appearances on national television, leaving her facial muscles exhausted, but she had to smile, smiles were necessary in the game of politics. And so she walked out looking ready for a campaign picture. She smiled and waved at the crowd, mindful to make eye contact with a few of them to create a sense of unity between them.

It was a short distance to the interview area, and when stepped onto the platform where the desk and chairs were positioned, she was greeted by Jon, her interviewer for the evening. They shook hands, exchanged friendly smiles, and then took their seats to begin the interview process. Not that it would be the standard interview that Verena had been subjected to lately. His manner was more at ease, still very direct, but with a comical tinge to it, and she was very much looking forward to speaking with him, and getting her message out to his viewers.

“This reminds me of election night,” she spoke, her tone light. “I think I’ll make a habit of flying out here whenever the Senate’s being a pain. It’ll be worth it just to hear them clap.”

“Fly out as often as you want. There’s always a few of them lingering around here. I honestly don’t think they ever go home. Who knows, maybe this is there home and I just don’t know it.” The applauding intensified and a few overly enthusiastic crowd members shouted that they were indeed living there. “I wouldn’t be advertising if I were you!” spoke Jon. “I might just call the termite guy to clean this place up.”

“Don’t worry. You can always relocate to my office. All you’ll have to do is applaud whenever I walk in.” Verena laughed, putting her laugh lines on full display. They’d gotten deeper since she started politics, as had the crow’s feet that were off to the corners of her eyes. “It really is great to be back on here.”

“How long’s it been since we last had you on?” asked Jon. “It feels like it’s been years.”

“Well, it hasn’t been that long. It’s been a little over a year,” she replied, unbuttoning her suit jacket to sit more comfortably. “I was still a representative when I was last on.”

“That’s right. This is the first time you’re on here as a Senator.” He paused. “Why is that? Because I know for a fact that we’ve been trying to get you on here for awhile now, wanted to discuss the Tea Party scandal with you, but we were told you had a prior engagement.”

“That’s what Ryan told you?” she asked, referring to her Communications Director.

“That’s what he told us. Why? Where were you? Were you off with the little liberal lions having cocktails while you laughed at Senator Lockwood? Because if you were, I'm hurt that you didn’t think to invite,” he placed his hand over his heart, pretending to choke up. “I'm no Rachel Maddow, but I’ve got a few drinks up my sleeve.”

“If that was where I’d been, you know we would’ve called you. We still remember the drinks we all had after the Ted Haggard story broke.”

“I thought no one remembered that. I certainly don’t.” Jon turned to the camera, and then whispered. “Don’t tell the Republicans that the liberal lions drink, they might try to bring prohibition back. I'm joking – kidding! I remember everything vividly. I remember a few things. I remember having gone out.”

“You need to stop running at the mouth, you’re going me into trouble.” Verena joked.

“What I'm going to do is run out of time for this interview. I haven’t asked anything pertaining to the Superhuman Registration Act, and that’s why you’re here. You need to get your points across, and I need to ask questions that are variations of every other question you’ve been asked these last few weeks. Who knows, I might get a little creative ant throw a question out there that no one else has touched, but for the present lets stick to the basics and talk about the SRA.” He grabbed his notes off the desk and pretended to look through them. “I’ve wanted to discuss this with you on the show for awhile now. We’ve obviously talked about this over the phone, but this is just one of those topics where it’s so fucking ridiculous how worked up most of the country seems to be. We’re talking about superheroes, the people that have saved us countless times! They literally saved New York. If it hadn’t been for them, I wouldn’t be broadcasting this program, but everyone seems to have forgotten that. It’s like it didn’t even happen.”

“They’re treating our superheroes like Gotham treated Batman, like a criminal.”

“Really?” he cocked his brow at her. “Did you really just bring Batman into the equation?”

“It might be a comic, but I believe it’s completely relevant. Don’t you fine people?” she turned to the audience, whom began to cheer loudly. “See, they know what I'm talking about.”

“They’re not cheering because they think Batman’s relevant. They’re cheering because you read comics, and have just fulfilled a strange fantasy for most of them. Just wait, you’re going to be Googled a lot more after this airs.”

Verena fought back a laugh. “Are you done laughing? Can we talk about the SRA now?”

“Hey, you’re the one that brought up Batman, but if you want to move on, we’ll move on.” He took a drink of water. “As everyone knows, the Superhuman Registration Act is all anyone’s talking about in the press nowadays. You flip on the news channels, they’re talking about it. The local news is talking about. We’re talking about. It’s the hot topic in American politics. And in the last few weeks, there’s been an outpouring of support for the act. It’s gotten to the point where, according to statistics, if the House were to hold a vote on it today, 307 of 435 representatives would vote in favor, and it would then pass to the Senate.” He paused. “How do you, as a critic, feel about the level of support the SRA has garnered? There seems to be a national movement behind it.”

“Everyone keeps referring to it as a national movement, making it seem as if that validates the prejudice that brought about the SRA. They make it sound as if the fact that there’s a movement behind it, makes the act alright, but I would just like to take a moment to remind the audience that the Tea Party was a movement. Let that sink in. The Tea Party was a movement. Of course, there are times when movements bring about needed change for this country, but the Superhuman Registration Act isn’t change that we need. The government doesn’t have a legal right to require individuals with superhuman abilities to register. And can I just bring up the fact that three years ago, when I was in the House, we pushed for a bill that would repeal the Mutant Registration Act. It took months, but we eventually managed to get that bill signed into law, and now, a couple years later, Congress is in the midst of creating legislation that surpasses the bigotry found in the Mutant Registration Act, and not only would it surpass the bigotry, it would violate the civil rights of Americans. I think that’s disgusting. Those representatives should be ashamed of themselves for actively trying to violate the basic protected rights of those Americans. But apart from that, speaking strictly from a legislative perspective, I have to state that the House hasn’t always passed the best bills. I can think of plenty bills that came up for a vote, which I voted against, and then went over to the Senate level where they were shut down.”

“We’ll expand more on this topic after a quick break.” The cameras shut off, the commercials rolled, and after a few of them, they were back on the air. “Before we went on the break, you were talking about how this bill may be shut down in the Senate. Is that what you’re hoping will happen with the SRA?”

“It is.” Verena took a drink of water. “I am well aware that the Republican controlled House is going to pass the bill. To think otherwise, would be naïve. They will, at some point in the near future, bring that bill to the floor, where it will then get the necessary votes to travel to the Senate.”

“And once in the Senate, which committee will it go to?” asked Jon.

“It’ll go to the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services.”

“If this is just a registration, why would it travel to that committee? We’ve been told that it would be handled in the same form as the census.”

“The SRA deals with the superhuman population and that, immediately makes it a national security issue, a question of defense, which is what my colleagues and I have been bringing up in interviews, because the others are purposely avoiding that discussion in order to gain more support. They know that as soon as people are made aware of the fact that it’ll go to Armed Services Committee, it will – ah, how do I say this? – it will create a sense of real danger for the superhuman population. They are going to be monitored by the Department of Defense, and I would argue that they will perhaps be monitored like the communist were back in the McCarthy era. I, of course, am just making suppositions, but I think that’s a valid claim.”

“You’re joking.”

“I wish I was.”

“So you’re telling me that Captain America, the dude that punched fucking Hitler in the jaw, could be followed around like the communist were? Because from what you’ve just said, it sounds like that would happen.”

“It would.” She was growing more passionate. “And I'm glad that you picked Captain America as the superhero, because that demonstrates how ridiculous this all is. This Act is going against the man that is meant to embody everything that this country stands for. If this bill passes, the government will keep lists and monitor the heroes that have been there for us, when all hope seemed lost. Look, I understand that people are afraid of those super villains. I'm terrified of them. When New York was attacked, I was actually in Manhattan with Congressmen Patrick and Matthew, we were in the thick of it, and I ended up in close proximity to that Loki guy. I honestly . . . I was petrified by fear, it was a moment in which I thought I had reached the end, but Iron Man saved me. He blasted Loki into another direction and I'm alive today because of him.” She cleared her throat, the emotion having momentarily got the best of her. “In the aftermath of that terrible attack, I wanted to sniff out every villain, but the thing is, we have to recognize that that’s not realistic. And –”

“Don’t you think it’s ironic that Iron Man saved you and left such an impression, yet he’s in support of the SRA? That’d be like a Jew or a person of color stating their support for the KKK in hopes of changing their message a bit.”

“Exactly!” she exclaimed. “See, this is why we’re friends.” She smiled brightly. “I think it’s incredibly ironic that he supports such bigoted legislation. He’s an exceedingly intelligent person, and I thought that he would come out in opposition of the SRA. It’s only natural that he would, but he’s in support of it, and I dare think that he might hold that position because he thinks that if he’s onboard with it, he might be able to help shape the legislation.”

“And do you believe there’s a possibility for that to happen? Is it reasonable to suppose he would have input or would the Representatives tell him to go home?”

“They probably won’t say that exactly, but they’ll say some variation of it.” She declared. “He might be rich and influential, but him and the Republicans don’t mesh well. He used to be a weapons manufacturer; the right loved him for that. He made so many of them rich off his stocks, but then he ventured into clean energy, his stocks plummeted, and they lost millions. He may think that he has a chance of shaping legislation, but with the manner that bills are drafted and then voted on, he won’t have much of a say. I think he should reconsider his stance. I truly do, because this is a moment in history that will be thoroughly studied by academics, and will have a huge impact on not only American politics, but every state in our nation, and also on an international level. I don’t want this country to violate the rights of Americans. In these last few weeks, I’ve heard a lot of people say that mutants and superheroes aren’t American. But the thing is, according to our constitution, anyone born in this country is an American citizen. It doesn’t matter if they are born with a genetic mutation that brings about superhuman abilities or if they’re normal people that develop those abilities later on in life. Those people are still American. According to the Citizenship Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment, All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. It doesn’t say all persons except for, it says all persons, and it’s important that we remember that, it’s important that we endeavor to protect their rights from the passions of the majority. That’s why the legislative system is shaped the way it is. The Founding Fathers knew that sometimes people get all hot and bothered over an issue, and they lose their heads a bit. Congress was designed to be slow, to make sure that bills were thoroughly thought out. Now, I'm not saying that Congress is perfect. Over the course of the nation’s history some horrible legislation has been enacted into law, but I'm working hard with my colleagues to ensure that this isn’t one of those moments.”

“This truly is going to leave a legacy. It might be a horrible legacy like the Supreme Court ruling that stated that corporations are people or back in the 1900s when Congress enacted the Chinese Exclusion Act. This is a critical moment, but like you said, lets be realistic, most people out there aren’t particularly well informed on the issues, they hear a few things, form an opinion and then run with it. So how . . . how exactly do you hope to change people’s minds and ultimately stop the SRA from becoming law?”

“I'm hoping to do so by making the rounds on the news channels and major broadcasting stations. The other day I was yelled at by Bill O’Reilly on his program. I was on Fox News, not a station that I am particularly welcomed at, but I was there, I said what I had to, and then I engaged in a lively debate.”

“He called you an uneducated Mexican socialist.”

“He calls everyone a socialist. I don’t even think that’s an insult for us on the left anymore, it’s more like an initiation we all have to go through.” She chuckled. “As for the other points, my law degree demonstrates that I am very much educated. And I am not ashamed of being Mexican-American. I come from a vibrant culture, and was born and raised in the great state of California, where I was raised in a multicultural community. I'm proud of who I am, I'm proud of my roots. O’Reilly is just so ignorant that instead of engaging in a traditional debate, he just slings insults. He calls you a clown, and calls your audience a bunch of stoned slackers, though we all know the latter is only a half truth.” She flashed the crowd a smile, and they went wild with cheers. “Back to your question, I'm doing interviews, holding town halls and speeches in California, and if the bill goes to the Senate floor for a vote, then I’ll filibuster it.”

“You’ve never mentioned that before.”

“I was waiting to be on my favorite news show to announce.” She smiled. “And I am very much serious. Let it be known that I will filibuster any form of the Superhuman Registration Act that goes to the Senate for a vote, thus forcing the Senate to achieve cloture in order to bring about an actual vote. And according to the numbers, they don’t have the votes for that. There are 52 Senators that support the bill, 48 that are opposed, 43 of whom staunchly oppose it.” She paused. “The SRA isn’t something that I take lightly, nor should anyone. We are talking about the men and women who have protected us against unimaginable villains. These are the individuals who don’t get paid for what they do; they don’t get a financial reward for defeating the bad guys. They do it, out of the goodness of their hearts. They do it because they care about this country and its people. And this country and its people need to stand up for them. They’re always protecting us. It’s time we return the favor. That’s why I will be with the cause until the end. And I –”

“I'm sorry to interrupt, but we’re running out of time.” Jon interjected. “If there’s anything you wish to close with, please do so, and if you don’t have any engagements after this, maybe you can stay and we can have an extended interview that we’ll put up on the website.”

“I wish I could stay, but I have an interview over at The Rachel Maddow Show.”

Jon feigned hurt. “I see how it is; you love Rachel more than you do The Daily Show.” He turned to the audience. “You see guys, she doesn’t love us. At least I still have you!” they cheered at his statement. “See, I have them to keep me company.”

“You know I’d stay if I could, but duty calls.”

“I think you just don’t like us anymore, but since you have to be on your way. We’ll get you back another night and have another discussion. So, any last statements?” he asked.

She nodded, and then turned to directly face the crowd and main camera. “Everyone in America has grown up with superheroes. The heroes in question may have changed over the years, but they’ve always been there to protect us, to keep this country safe. I know that in difficult times, it’s human nature to fear the unknown, to fear those that are different from us, but when has that ever worked out? That has always led to discrimination, violation of basic human rights, persecution, and periods in this nation’s history that we all look back on with remorse and embarrassment. We’re Americans. We should be better than that, and I'm asking everyone out there to join in on the fight to protect our heroes. They’ve done so much for us over the years, so let’s repay the favor. Call up your Representatives, your Senators. Let them know how you feel about the issue, because they may not listen to me, but they’ll listen to you, because your votes are what keep us in office. So please, help out your heroes. Come on New York, do it for the Avengers, and for Spiderman who seemed to be out of town on that day.” End with a light joke, and with a smile, that was how things had to be done on The Daily Show, and that was exactly what she did. “Thank you for having me, Jon. It was a true pleasure to be here.”

After the cameras turned off, she and Jon hugged tightly before they started inquiring as to how their lives were going. They weren’t the absolute best of friends, they didn’t spend time together every week or even every month, but whenever Verena was in town, she’d go over to his house for dinner and to spend time with his wife and kids, but on that visit, she wasn’t going to have the time for that. It was all work, work, work. That was all she had time for anymore. The Superhuman Registration Act was taking up all of her time and energy. She hadn’t thought much of it at first, thinking that people would find it to be ludicrous and cast aside, but when it began to gain momentum, she – along with the other progressives – began to campaign against it.

Campaigning was exhausting. She hated having to run all over the place and live out of a suitcase and hotel rooms, but it had to be done. So as soon as she finished talking with Jon, she walked over to the stands where the audience was waiting for her to sign autographs and take pictures. She shook as many hands as she could, she smiled and posed for the cameras until Wilson – her personal aide – informed her that they had to leave if they were going to make it to her next interview.

Verena was rushed to the town car waiting outside 733 11th Avenue, and was then driven over to 30 Rockefeller Center. She arrived at the set an hour and a half before the show was meant to go on air, which gave her enough time to grab dinner, but since she had to completely change her outfit, as well as hair and make up, she had to skip the meal. Instead she dressed in the waiting room that had been provided for her, and then had the onset make up artist fix her up. By the time she was done getting ready, there was only a half hour to air time, and she found herself snacking on the assortment of cheese and crackers that had been provided in the waiting area. As she ate, Ryan went over the talking points with her, reminding her to touch on specific provisions of the bill that would allow for the superhuman population to have their phones tapped and to be detained indefinitely under certain circumstances.

“It’s imperative that you bring up the Mutant Registration Act, and thoroughly explain the manner in which the government had it administered, the rights that were violated, and innocent lives that were lost. If we can have people immediately associate the one with the other, then they’ll be more likely to oppose the SRA. That’s what the polling we’ve done has shown.” He glanced down at the notes he’d jotted down during her earlier interview. “Also, I think it’d be in our best interest to keep using Captain America as the superhero. He’s the American ideal and if we show that he’s at risk of being viewed with distrust and persecuted, then I firmly believe people will realize the absurdity of this legislation.”

“Shouldn’t I give the other heroes a chance though? What about Thor? He was one of the ones that protected New York.”

“Thor’s not American. He’s not even from earth.”

“Black Widow?” she asked as she spread cheese on another cracker.

“Russian,” he replied.

“Captain America it is then.” She set her cracker down on the plate and then prepared another one. “I bet that poor guy’s sick of us using him for our own political gain.”

“He’s used to it.” Ryan removed his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “That’s why he was made.”

Wilson took out his daily planner. “After the interview’s over, we’ll drive back to the hotel and –”

“What about dinner?” she asked.

“I thought the room service selection would suffice.”

She shook her head. “We’re in New York, I want authentic pizza from that Italian place next to the Indian restaurant, you know which one I'm talking about, order me the usual and get something for yourself and Ryan.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, scribbling down what she’d said. “Thank you.”

“What else is on the agenda?” she asked, finally taking a bite from the crackers.

“You’re going to be on The View tomorrow; you’ll have to be up by seven, in order to get there by nine. Once that’s over, there’s a three hour free period, then you’ll go have the interview with Charlie Rose. The rest of Saturday will be free.”

“I have a dinner with Patrick, right? I thought I asked you to schedule that in.”

“I have it written down, but – was I supposed to make the reservations?”

“No, he’s cooking at his apartment for me.”

“In that case, will you come back to the hotel or should we pick you both up on Sunday morning for Meet the Press?”

“Pick us up.” She told him. “And once that’s done, we’re flying back to Washington, right? I know you mentioned that there were dinners I had been invited to, but I'm not in the mood to socialize, I have enough of that do.”

“I took the liberty of informing them that you were indisposed on Sunday evening.” Wilson replied. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” she smiled halfheartedly. “You’re my personal aide; you better than anyone know when I'm not fit to be in company. Is there any alcohol here? Any wine?”

“Only water and herbal drinks.”

“How doesn’t Rachel have any liquor in her waiting room? She’s always making those fucking drink. This is ridiculous.”

With a displeased grumble, she reached into her purse and pulled out the flask that housed her tequila. Her right hand immediately unscrewed the top, giving her leave to taste the rich liquid that would help her fight off the nerves. Whenever she did interviews, she preferred to have a drink. Usually it was half a glass of wine, something light, but still strong enough to help give her some extra courage, but since there was no wine, she had to resort to something stronger, to the tequila she indulged in whenever the Senate was driving her to the brink of insanity. Alcohol was her crutch, what she turned to at the end of a long day. There was nothing quite like sitting down on the couch and having a drink as she listened to classic rock vinyls. That was what she liked, what helped her unwind and kept her sane. There were others who would argue that it wasn’t particularly healthy habit, that she had to hold back on drinking, but she didn’t drink to excess. It was a glass here, a sip there, she hadn’t had a hangover in eight months, she couldn’t afford to binge drink, not with the amount of work she had to do. She jut enjoyed the daily, recreational drink that helped her be on, to be camera ready and able to play her part in the complex game of politics.

The time soon came for Verena to walk on stage for the second time that day. She sat across from Rachel, and went over her talking points; she brought up the specific provisions, spoke of the injustices that would occur, and reminded people of what had happened with the Mutant Registration Act. She spoke out against the SRA more eloquently than she had during her time on The Daily Show. The audience for Rachel’s program was a bit higher brow, and required a different side of Verena to be shown. Not that that was a challenge for her. All politicians were skilled actors, they knew when to bring out a certain side of themselves, and they did it with ease. It was all a part of ensuring that they’d get back into office whenever they were up for reelection. That was what mattered most to them. They had to stay in Congress, keep their position of power, and sometimes, they did things that they weren’t particularly proud of to ensure their being looked at favorably by their constituencies.

Once, she’d voted against a measure that would’ve helped lower pollution emissions. When she’d first read the bill, she’d loved it, having thought it exactly the direction that the nation had to move in, but the bill would’ve cost hundreds of jobs in her district, and fearing the wrath of the unemployed, she voted against it. It was one of the deciding votes.

But the SRA wasn’t like that. She wasn’t opposing it because it was a politically wise decision. She was already being targeted by Republicans back in California for being un-American. There were attack ads being ran, and it wasn’t even an election year for her, she wouldn’t be up for reelection for another five years, but the GOP was already targeting her. And the reason she stayed firm in her opposition to the legislation, was because she knew what discrimination lead to. The history books were filled with accounts of racial discrimination, of gender discrimination, and even then, the news shows the hardships that many communities still faced. She didn’t want to add onto that, she didn’t want to go down in the history books as being a supporter of bigoted legislation. The SRA had to be stopped. That was all there was to it.