*female voice on news radio* ...the candidates gave speeches at this past Friday's fundraising event. And, while it seems that Senator Carlisle Cullen still maintains the lead in the party polls, Senator Aro Volturi's speech seems to have narrowed the margins.
Of course, with today's big announcement coming out of Senator Volturi's office that Chief of Staff Edward Masen, Jr. has resigned, one has to wonder what's going on behind the scenes in the Volturi campaign. This is a big loss for Senator Volturi and neither his office nor Edward Masen, Jr. are divulging the reason behind this resignation.
Rumor among political pundits is that Masen may be making a very important announcement in the next week or two regarding his own future within the political sphere. Could it be that Edward Masen, Jr., heir to the powerful Masen political dynasty, has finally decided to follow in his forefather's footsteps and enter the political arena as a candidate? Considering that Senator Monroe of Illinois has been talking about retiring for two election cycles, this may very well be the case.
We now go to Brian Cunningham and Kyra Ramirez and their segment Poltalk for more on this story as well as a discussion of the Masen political dynasty. This has been Marcia McGraff for Political Radio.
Brian: Thank you, Marcia. *stunned sounding laughter* So…looks like Masen has left Volturi in a bit of a bind.
Kyra: *chuckling* It certainly feels that way, Brian. The Volturi camp is keeping pretty tight lipped about this whole thing, but this may actually be a good thing for Volturi.
Brian: *sounds stunned* A good thing? How is this a good thing?! Everyone doubted that Masen was ready for the job when Volturi hired him as chief of staff, but he's more than proved himself and Senator Volturi has gone from a small name in the Senate to a full-fledged powerbroker. Almost everyone agrees that that is Masen's doing. Without Masen he may start floundering.
Kyra: Whoa! Hear me out! I have no doubts that Masen is the reason that Volturi has become a major player in the party. He obviously has a keen political mind, but can you imagine if the rumors are true? If Masen really is going to run for the Senate seat that may be vacated by Monroe?
Brian: Well, that's the rumor.
Kyra: And, if Masen endorses Volturi as his party's next candidate… *lets her voice trail off*
Brian: Ah! I see where you're going with this. That would leave Volturi with an endorsement by a major political ~candidate~ with a major political name rather than just one of his employees. I…I just don't think that's what's happening here. I mean, why would they keep so quiet about it?
Kyra: *laughs* You sound like you're expecting transparency.
Brian: *chuckles in return* I don't know, it just seems rather odd to me. Do you think that Mason may be switching camps?
Kyra: *sounds incredulous* Parties?!
Brian: No, no, nothing ~that~ drastic. What if he were throwing his weight behind another candidate?
Kyra: You mean Cullen? I seriously doubt…
Brian: *interrupts* Wait, wait, hear me out. I think…
Kyra: *interrupts* I know where you're going with this. You're thinking of his relationship with Isbella Swan, Cullen's Communications Director. I didn't know you were into the gossip rags, Bri. *laughs*
Brian: *laughs* Hey now, I need something to read while I'm in the checkout lane, too. But, seriously, there's been talk about how that relationship might be affecting ~both~ campaigns. It really isn't outside the realm of possibilities. We only have to take Masen's dating history into consideration to see…
Kyra: *interrupts with a groan* Please don't go into Masen's dating history. This is a political talk show, not a gossip show.
Brian: I'm not! I was just going to point out that this guy doesn't date, at least not in such a public fashion. He's kept his private life very private and suddenly you can see him on the cover of People, Ok!, and other rags hand and hand with this girl. When someone lets things go public like that, they're making a statement.
Kyra: So you're taking a few pictures of him with this woman to mean that he's going to suddenly be abandoning Volturi?
Brian: It's possible!
Kyra: Look, I'm not saying that his personal life isn't important ~to him~, but if there's one thing that we've learned about Masen over the years is that he ~doesn't~ necessarily let his personal relationships hold full baring over his political ones.
Brian: Explain.
Kyra: Well, look at Volturi compared to Masen Sr., the two are so different personality wise and in the way that they approach politics. It's the reason that everyone was shocked when Jr. when to work for Volturi. Everyone expected him to end up working with one of his dad's old buddies or someone like Cullen.
Brian: You've got a point. While in the same party, Masen Sr. and Volturi really couldn't be more different.
Kyra: Exactly. I think that we can both agree that if Masen Sr. and his wife hadn't been killed in that plane crash he was more likely than not going to end up in the Oval Office. He had no real opposition and his competition wasn't even close to polling where he was. In an alternate universe where Masen Sr. would have become president, we would have seen Masen Jr. take a much different trajectory in the political arena. But, if Masen Jr. really is running for the Senate seat out of Illinois then it makes it seem like he's come full circle. He's finally ending up where he was probably going to end up in the first place.
Brian: Well, it definitely should be interesting if he does decide to run for office. We haven't seen a Masen on a ballot in a long time and in my humble opinion…
Kyra: *interrupts* Since when have you been humble?
Brian: *snorts* …In my humble opinion Illinois needs a candidate like Masen Jr. and it's not just the name. Anyone who is anyone in D.C. knows what a major player he's become in the party since he started working for Volturi, he's made a name for himself despite his family legacy and not ~because~ of it.
Kyra: Very true, he definitely has become a power player. I just hope that this rise isn't too soon.
Brian: I think Monroe's retirement, if that is in fact eminent, gives him the perfect opportunity.
Kyra: Well, we can just continue to listen out and see what he has in store for us. Rumor has it that he's already made his way to Illinois and has been seen visiting Monore in his home on the outskirts of Chicago.
Brian: Using those spies of yours again, Kyra.
Kyra: Don't be jealous of my connections, Brian.
Brian: *laughs* I still want to know where you get your info, but I do have information of my own.
Kyra: Oh?
Brian: My own sources tell me that Ms. Swan is now working out of Senator Cullen's California offices.
Kyra: Movement of staffers during this time is always expected.
Brian. True enough, but one has to wonder if this is in response to the possibility of Masen making an announcement.
Kyra: I would think that if the relationship is serious she will be flying out to join Masen if and when he announces anything.
Brian: Perhaps, or perhaps Masen doesn't want to seem like the young, unmarried playboy type when he makes his announcement. You know, shifting the eye away from his personal life. He may also be trying to shift away from his connection with Volturi…if he does indeed end up changing camps and throwing his weight elsewhere.
Kyra: Possibly. I think we just need to keep an eye on Masen and the Volturi and Cullen camps in the next few days.
)()()()()()(
Senator Volturi sat in the backseat of his town car, his jaw clenching as he listened to the voices coming over the car speakers. His jaw visibly clenching.
You know, shifting the eye away from his personal life. He may also be trying to shift away from his connection with Volturi…if he does indeed end up changing camps and throwing his weight elsewhere.
Possibly. I think we just need to keep an eye on Masen and the Volturi and Cullen camps in the next few days.
"Turn that rubbish off," he hissed as he reached up to adjust his tie.
Felix gave him a weary look and glanced at the driver through the reflection in the rearview mirror as the voices faded away with the driver's turn of the dial.
"This is an unmitigated disaster," Aro continued, pursing his lips as he smoothed down the tie. "Who does that boy think he is? I made him. Utter nonsense…Political dynasty…"
Felix said nothing at first, but when the Senator remained silent he finally spoke, "We have to start looking at different replacements for my position now that I've stepped up for Edward and Jane is acting as my deputy. We'll need to see about finding some qualified individuals for the speech team."
"Hmm," Aro responded in a bored tone as he looked at the city pass by outside his window.
Felix, actually taking this as a sign of encouragement, continued, "We've started collecting resumes and they're some promising candidates."
"Anyone of interest?" Aro asked, still sounding uninterested.
Felix flipped through a file holding some resumes. "Well, there's the guy from Connecticut. Speech writer for the governor before the scandal broke out. Cullen's old speech writer before Swan. Still can't believe he replaced most of his old team with this…," his voice trailed off as he noticed that he had caught Aro's interest.
"Cullen's team…," Aro looked thoughtful as he spoke and Felix just watched him silently. "Didn't you say that Cullen had exiled the lovely Ms. Swan, shipped her off to California or some nonsense?"
Felix was already sensing where this was going and slowly nodded, "Yes, sir."
A sinking feeling set into Felix's stomach as a slow, mischievous smile spread over Aro's lips.