American History 1988
Chapter 270 - 261: Public Relations?

Chapter 270: Chapter 261: Public Relations?

Despite Quicken already having the upper hand, it was no surprise to Dean that Microsoft continued to promote Microsoft Money.

After all, it was Microsoft, a company never known to back down and let itself be defeated. How could there be any reason for Microsoft to retreat in disgrace?

Moreover, Gates was not one to accept defeat lightly; his domineering nature would never tolerate Byte Company’s insolent defiance.

So under Gates’s furious orders, Microsoft went full throttle, releasing an updated version of Microsoft Money in just two months.

And that wasn’t all; Gates’s mandate to the internal project team was to launch a third version of Microsoft Money in the second half of the year.

The user experience of the third version couldn’t lag too far behind Quicken, ideally maintaining just a one-version difference between them.

Then, with the fourth version of Microsoft Money, the plan was to completely catch up with the current Quicken software.

According to Gates’s plan, when the fourth version was released the following year, Microsoft and Byte Company would finally enter a brutal, bloody phase of competition.

Gates admitted that part of the reason behind his aggressive approach to competition was that Dean had infuriated him.

Having experienced smooth sailing since starting his business at the age of 19, he had never suffered a setback in commercial competition.

But Dean was an exception; Gates felt he had been humiliated!

The RAS CALL incident had given him pause, but according to news from his father, there was no evidence connecting it to Dean. Most importantly, Dean didn’t have any notable background.

Everything seemed to be as the official records showed; he was just a poor kid from Ohio, with an even worse family situation.

Could this all be a coincidence? Gates was somewhat uncertain.

However, he was promptly enraged by Byte Company’s collaboration with Intuit, and Gates no longer cared about the truth of the matter.

All he knew was that the despicable Dean had played him for a fool!

Now Microsoft needed revenge! Gates wanted to make sure Dean understood that Silicon Valley could be wiped out by Microsoft at any moment!

Former competitors like Apple and MITS had failed, and now it was Byte Company’s turn!

So even though he knew Microsoft Money wouldn’t be profitable in the short term, Gates proceeded anyway.

Pouring in manpower without regard for cost, launching extensive promotions—all these were to cost Microsoft tens of millions of dollars.

To be honest, the market potential for personal finance software wasn’t that great.

According to Microsoft’s previous market research estimates, the cap in North America was probably around two to three hundred million dollars.

Now, Gates’s heavy investment in manpower and resources for the development of Microsoft Money seemed somewhat disproportionate to the potential gain.

But Gates, in his anger, wasn’t too concerned about this; he just wanted the final victory.

...

In February, while Byte Company was busy handing out dividends, America’s media was getting increasingly noisy.

As everyone knows, this year is a presidential election year that comes once every four years.

According to tradition, starting from February, the Democratic and Republican parties commence their primaries.

Since announcing his candidacy last October, Clinton had gone through more than two months of speeches and campaigning and had successfully secured a candidacy slot.

There were five nominees within the Democratic Party, and Jerry Brown from California was Clinton’s biggest competitor.

In the Gallup polls from the end of last year, Brown’s support rate consistently remained around 21%.

He was the highest-rated among the five candidates, while Clinton was almost at the bottom at the time.

But things took a turn in December, thanks to Jennifer Flowers’s salacious news, which greatly increased Clinton’s exposure in the media.

Gallup’s most recent poll in January showed Clinton’s support rate had soared to around 20%.

An odd phenomenon was that among Clinton’s supporters, many were previously politically indifferent women?! They thought Clinton was charming, and combined with his political allure, they cast their votes for him.

Well, this time it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Clinton really entered the national spotlight.

But things weren’t so simple. In February, influenced by who knows whom, Jennifer Flowers published an explosive article in the tabloid "Star" magazine, titled "My 12-Year Affair with Governor Clinton."

In this report, Jennifer Flowers detailed her extramarital affair with Clinton that began in ’77.

This included their secret signals for meeting up, the dating spots, how they avoided public scrutiny—she listed a whole basket of details.

The gossipy public feasted their eyes, and major newspapers reprinted the story in droves.

This was more sensational than the previous ambiguous hints, and now Dean had received a bunch of such newspapers as well.

He had instructed Caitlin to bring him news about key figures as soon as possible.

Then Dean too enjoyed his fill of the gossip. Wearing a hoodie for secret rendezvous? Placing flowers at the door to signal no one was home?

Clever! The governor sure knows how to play the field with countless tricks~

But after his juicy read, Dean started to worry again. Unlike the previous time, it was clear that someone might be encouraging Jennifer Flowers.

As for the goal, Jennifer Flowers might be doing it for fame, and those behind her were most likely aiming at this year’s election.

The last exposé not only failed to dent Clinton’s reputation but even significantly boosted his support rate.

So to thoroughly pin down his scandal, this time, Jennifer Flowers straightforwardly wrote an extensive exposé.

Dean had even just found out from the newspapers that Jennifer Flowers was planning to write a book!

Dammit! Americans really fucking love to write books.

As long as it’s sensational enough to hit the news, participants rush to publish a book and make a quick buck.

Yes, writing a book is not out of love for literature; it’s because it’s a business.

If the book sells well, the hefty royalties are sufficient for a windfall.

If Hollywood takes a fancy to you, you might just become their long-term meal ticket.

So, it wasn’t hard to understand why Jennifer Flowers was so keen on spilling the beans—it was all business.

But for Clinton, this was a disaster, one that could shatter his White House dreams.

Dean decided to give him a call, guessing the guy must be up to his ears in trouble right now.

However, just as he was picking up the phone, Dean’s eyes were caught by a newspaper lying underneath.

"Hillary, Clinton’s wife, suspected pregnant? She insists that the rumors are false, believing in her husband!"

What The F*ck?! Dean was stunned by the headline, was this crap for real?

Unable to resist juicy gossip, Dean quickly flipped through the report, and soon burst out laughing.

Damn! It was just clickbait~

Beyond the headline mentioning the pregnancy, the rest of the article was just Hillary debunking rumors for her husband.

Motherf*cker! Clinton’s PR team were geniuses!

This was nothing but a stunt to distract the public, wasn’t it?

Still, Dean had to admire how swiftly Clinton’s campaign team reacted.

In the teeth of a storm, they quickly threw out another hot topic to shift everybody’s attention.

Whether Hillary was pregnant didn’t matter, what mattered was her stepping up as a devoted wife and mother, staunchly supporting her husband.

In the early ’90s of today, America’s mainstream society still leaned conservative.

A wife suspected of being pregnant, proclaiming to the media that her husband did not cheat, and that it was all rumors.

This obviously had more persuasive power than Clinton’s dry declarations.

She would gain people’s sympathy, leading them to believe or forgive Clinton, and in the end, even understand and support him!

Brilliant, politicians truly have no scruples.

As for what the truth was, it wasn’t important.

After all, they hadn’t admitted anything, everything was just spontaneous reporting by the media.

Hmph, Dean once again had a full grasp of the thickness of politicians’ skins.

But the call still had to be made; his own benefactor needed a proper reminder.

The primary election was already underway, time to stop the shenanigans and keep your pants buckled.

Soon, Dean got through to the call to Arkansas.

"Bill, you’ve hit the headlines again."

"Dean, we’re dealing with this, I promise we can handle it."

Clinton gestured for silence in his campaign office, respecting the call from his major financier.

"You said the same thing last time." Dean flipped through the newspaper, noticing the frequent appearances of the other party.

Clinton faltered, sensing Dean’s dissatisfaction.

"All right, I’ll deal with Flowers personally. But Dean, will you keep supporting me?"

"Of course, I thought our friendship had already dispelled those doubts."

"But I’ve heard George also got support from you, even more so."

Dean paused, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Bill, have the media got you all rattled? This doesn’t sound like you from before, the one who would say such things."

As a qualified politician, you should never question the financier’s rights over their wealth, even if you know they’re also writing checks for your competitors.

"Sorry, Dean, I..." Clinton regretted his words as soon as he spoke them, he should have kept cool.

"OK, let me tell you why I also cut a check for old George."

Dean interrupted him, not particularly caring for Clinton’s excuse.

"I cut a check for George because he got Byte Company nearly a hundred million US dollars’ worth of contracts!

With these contracts, Byte can make money, then I can keep writing checks for you without worrying.

Get it, Bill? You should be thanking old George!"

"Dean, if I’m not mistaken, you just said you could keep supporting my campaign, right?"

Clinton instantly sensed an opportunity, his previous complaints already forgotten.

The primary just started; he faced strong competitors and needed more campaign funds.

"Alright" At his question, Dean couldn’t help but laugh.

Such a politician, always catching the loopholes in your words.

"Your fund’s name is ’American Health Research Center’?"

"Yes, that’s right." Clinton affirmed.

"OK, I think the employees at Byte Company need to undergo a health consultation worth four million US dollars.

What do you think, Bill?"

"The Health Center will provide on-site services and certainly ensure the privacy of the employees."

"Good! I expect only good news from now on."

"I guarantee it!"