American History 1988
Chapter 237 - 231: Grand Gesture

Chapter 237: Chapter 231: Grand Gesture

Diana was Regis’s wife, yes, the Regis who was in charge of Dean’s public relations team.

He had been responsible for Apple’s products and a series of marketing campaigns, including Jobs’s public image.

The highly recognizable logo of Apple was his creation, and it was also he who convinced Jobs to embrace the "simplicity" product design philosophy.

Later, as Jobs left Apple, Regis gradually faded from Apple’s decision-making circle.

Then Byte Company appeared, and Regis happened to connect with Dick from Byte investments and became a shareholder of Byte Company.

Therefore, it was only logical for Regis to start handling the marketing and public relations activities for Dean and Byte Company.

The reason he and his wife were here today was partly because of Dean and partly because of Larry Stone.

Dean wanted Regis to consult on Clinton’s image PR, as this was his area of expertise.

Diana, on the other hand, was encouraged by Larry Stone; the two of them were both council members of Sunnyvale City.

Being involved in the presidential race was a good thing for them.

Not only would it be a political asset, but if the candidate won the election, they would also receive generous rewards.

Of course, they needed to consider the necessary risks before placing their bets.

After all, endorsing an obscure Governor of Arkansas was a choice everyone would make cautiously.

And now, Diana was asking if Clinton had a hidden "Willie Horton," which was her way of asking if he had any potential scandals.

This refers to an anecdote from the 1988 elections and was one of old George’s effective tactics to defeat his opponent, Dukakis.

At that time, Dukakis had a "weekend furlough program" in his platform, which allowed first-degree murderers to take weekend leaves.

By chance, America had a black murderer named Willie Horton who used this program to repeatedly commit crimes and avoid the death penalty.

Old George used this series of negative advertisements to powerfully attack Dukakis’s reputation.

And this incident, due to the election, became a classic example of political attacks and was later referred to by the political community as a scandal risk or potential political assault.

Diana was worried that the current Governor of Arkansas would pull some bizarre stunt like Dukakis did.

Of course, to curry favor with the public, Democratic Party members would do anything.

So, before officially placing their bets, they had to clear this up.

As everyone looked on with scrutinous eyes, Clinton spread his hands with a relaxed expression, "I promise, there is no such thing."

Dean’s gaze flickered; our dear Governor certainly had the resolve to aspire for Washington, surpassing most in composure.

Just half an hour ago, he and Hillary had heard two very informative phone calls.

One was from far away in Arkansas, and the other was from nearby in Los Angeles.

Look, even while visiting, Clinton didn’t forget to arrange for himself a fresh affair.

Dean turned his gaze to Hillary, who was looking at him with pleading eyes.

Well, he didn’t want to get involved in these messes; he only knew that the ultimate victor was right before his eyes.

"OK," Dean broke the silence, "I trust you, Bill."

After speaking, he took out a checkbook from his pocket and swiftly wrote down a series of numbers.

Hiss~, the check was handed over to the assistant Craig Smith.

"Oh~" After seeing the numbers, Smith’s mouth hung open, "Mr... Mr. Price...?"

Dean ignored the stuttering Smith, his expression serious as he looked at Clinton.

"Bill, you must win!"

"This has always been my ultimate goal!" Clinton sat up straight.

At that moment, Smith also handed the check to our candidate and his spouse, and Clinton’s face lit up in delight upon glancing at it.

million dollars! In one go, Dean had covered most of the funds for his party’s primary.

God! Clinton hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly; they had originally planned to take two months to raise this money.

But now, just at the first stop in Silicon Valley, he had achieved all his anticipated goals; he no longer needed to give speeches everywhere, nor did he need to fundraise everywhere.

As long as he secured the party nomination, naturally, more people would come to him.

This donation of 3 million dollars would help Clinton get through the most challenging phase of the campaign.

Because at this time, no one knew him, the public wasn’t familiar with him, and the media didn’t favor him, so the beginning of the campaign trail would be exceptionally tough.

But once he had the entry ticket, everything would start to go more smoothly.

Well done, Dean!

Clinton was self-congratulatory about his charm.

Hillary too was shocked by Dean’s bold move; he clearly already knew a lot of insider information.

Yet now he was still wholeheartedly supporting William, why?

Hillary’s eyes shone as she looked at Dean, momentarily lost in thought.

At this point, Larry Stone and others also heard about Dean’s donation, whether directly or through their companions.

"Dean... I must say... this surprises me," Baram was still immersed in shock; he hadn’t expected Dean to be so wealthy.

Byte Company obviously had not gone public, and Dean certainly hadn’t had time to cash out.

Where did he get so much money, and more importantly, why was he willing to make such a hefty bet on the Governor of Arkansas?

Baram was certain no one in Silicon Valley would support Clinton to this extent, even if they were captivated by his charm.

"I believe Bill will bring different opportunities to the development of Silicon Valley," Dean explained.

Otherwise, he certainly couldn’t say that the other party was certain to win.

Moreover, it’s better to offer timely assistance than just add to one’s successes, and Dean never engaged in a losing deal.

"Bill’s platform combined with Hillary’s support will be the perfect home run!" Dean didn’t forget to add another sentence.

"That’s right!" Larry Stone rose with enthusiasm, "Bill is the most tech-savvy candidate from the Democratic Party I’ve ever seen."

"I agree," Diana also thought that with this point alone, Clinton would win Silicon Valley’s approval.

Silicon Valley is important not only because it represents the frontier of technology but also as a symbol of wealth.

Securing the votes from Silicon Valley meant that Clinton would get a lot of support in campaign funding afterward, just like today.

Next, Larry Stone and Diana had a discussion with Clinton about political issues.

Since politics was not his field of expertise, Dean was mostly a faithful listener.

Of course, when it came to Silicon Valley, he could still offer some advice.

After about half an hour, the meeting ended. Nobody summarized, but everyone knew that the people here would be loyal supporters of Clinton.

They would keep in touch and, once the election officially started, many would even join Clinton’s campaign team.

Dean, busy with Byte Company affairs, left the Fairmont Hotel early to return to Silicon Valley.

"Dean," just then, Hillary came out as well.

"Hillary?" Dean stopped, his car parked not far from the lawn.

"I can’t thank you enough for just now, I don’t know how to express my gratitude..."

There was still a trace of embarrassment on Hillary’s face, but mostly gratitude.

Covering for her husband’s betrayal was embarrassing for her, especially in front of Dean.

She didn’t want Dean to see her in disarray; she tried hard to maintain the dignity of a politician.

But that check from Dean had completely shattered it.

Strangely, this didn’t hurt her sensitive inner strength as a powerful woman; she was just...

"No, you don’t have to do this," Dean seemed to think nothing of that check, "I said I would support you."

"Yeah~ I’ll remember that now," Hillary returned to her usual brilliant smile, never easily showing her vulnerabilities.

"Byte Company has another roadshow in Los Angeles in a few days, will you be going?"

"Of course, I’ll definitely go."

"Good, then I’ll see you there," said Dean with a carefree wave before getting into his car.

"Remember to take care of your arm, so your girlfriend doesn’t get the wrong idea," Hillary joked with a laugh.

"Hah, I live alone now," Dean replied, gesturing with a slash of his hand, then he hit the gas and quickly disappeared into the night.

The cool sea breeze fluttered her long dress as she stood outside for a long time, until her mind returned to a state of calm.

...

Almost a month had passed since Byte Company first submitted its registration to the SEC, during which time there had been responses and suggestions for amendments from the SEC.

Byte Company and Morgan Stanley had made all the necessary changes, and now the final approval was imminent.

Once the review passed, Byte Company could publicly announce its registration statement, meaning it would officially enter the market promotion phase.

The earlier roadshows in New York and Chicago could only be considered as testing the waters, and many specific details could not be discussed.

But for the upcoming roadshows in Los Angeles and Europe, they could freely choke on their dreams.

And that’s exactly what Byte Company did, inviting all sorts of heroes to the Los Angeles roadshow.

Not only Hollywood stars were gathered, but many politicians also made appearances at the roadshow.

By now everyone knew that Byte Company was hot.

The bombardment from the media and newspapers over the past month was proof enough.

A nascent unicorn company was about to be born, and everyone was eager to congratulate it.

Some people wanted a piece of the pie, while others treated it as a major networking event.

"I’m sorry, ma’am, I can’t guarantee it, but I’m inclined towards your initial choice,"

Dean, just off the stage, was immediately surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd.

Like Meryl Streep, known as "auntie Meryl" in the circle.

She and her husband were just jokingly asking Dean whether to invest in Byte Company’s stock.

She wanted to invest more of her private money but was hesitant.

Of course, Dean couldn’t give a definitive answer to that question.

It was against the rules, and if a journalist caught wind of it, he might get a warning from the SEC.

"I trust you, Dean, your presentation just now was magnificent," auntie Meryl finally decided, trusting her intuition.

She was won over by the confidence emanating from Dean; no young person could have performed better than him on stage.

This was completely different from what newspapers reported about Silicon Valley nerds; he was a natural star, who truly belonged on the stage.

She was not the only one who felt this way; our dear First Lady of the state also did.