American History 1988
Chapter 286 - 276 You Promised Me

Chapter 286: Chapter 276 You Promised Me

The Democratic Party’s primary election had ended in June, and since appearing on "60 Minutes" in February, Clinton’s support rate had been soaring.

During the four months of the primary election, he traveled with his campaign team across all 50 states of America, with his support rate exceeding 50% in more than half of them.

With such data backing him up, Clinton had clinched the party nomination without any suspense.

Then in the scorching heat of July, Clinton announced his choice of Gore as his running mate.

Given that both Clinton and Gore were in their forties and from neighboring states, this choice came as a surprise.

Usually, to optimize electoral effectiveness, the vice-presidential candidate would present differences from the presidential candidate in various aspects.

But this pairing wasn’t like that, and the reasons primarily involved two factors.

One was that Clinton needed Gore to establish an image of valuing technology, his campaign slogan including the phrase "It’s the economy, stupid!"

Since 1991, America’s economic issues had become increasingly prominent, especially in the decline of traditional industries.

Old George, once basking in the victory halo of the Gulf conflict, had seen his support rate fall from 80% in 1990.

By this year, spring of 1992, his poll support rate was only around 40%.

Clinton seized this opportunity, vehemently criticizing Old George’s incompetence in the economy.

He promised the public he would lead them out of the recessionary mire, often citing the tech wave.

He claimed that only by developing technology could America lead the world again, with computer technology being key.

As one of the earliest Democrats to focus on technology as a topic and slogan, Gore undoubtedly had the political image of a "technology vanguard" among the public.

The High-Performance Computing Act, the plan for a high-speed information highway, the privatization of the NSFNET... these were all largely enabled by Gore’s efforts.

So, choosing him as a running mate was undoubtedly a declaration to the public of Clinton’s resolution for reform.

The second reason for Gore becoming the vice-presidential candidate was that Silicon Valley had been pushing for this choice behind the scenes.

Putting the two together was certainly the closest combination, with many people in Silicon Valley even feeling grateful towards Gore.

Not only did they appreciate Gore for valuing technology, but also because his advocacy had gradually made Silicon Valley’s significance recognized nationwide.

Particularly in Washington at present, the Republican Party had almost marginalized Silicon Valley in the initial two years.

Baram, once an executive at Hewlett-Packard, had written countless opinions to Washington but never received a reply.

This was Hewlett-Packard, and if they were treated this way, let alone others in Silicon Valley.

Later, with Gore’s rallying cries and the increasingly vast wealth and output created by the tech industry, that phenomenon began to change slowly.

So when Clinton won the primary election and was preparing to choose a running mate, the prominent figures of Silicon Valley were all recommending Gore to him.

Clinton heeded their advice because he needed the support of Silicon Valley.

During the entire election period, over a third of Clinton’s campaign funding came from Silicon Valley.

No one could overlook such a presence; the demands of Silicon Valley had to be seriously considered.

That’s the reason behind this young pairing, of course, with a certain major donor also contributing significantly.

"My God, is this your residence in San Francisco?" Hillary was stunned by the ultra-luxurious estate before her eyes.

"Looks pretty good, doesn’t it?" Dean patted the seat beside him, indicating for Hillary to take a seat.

Because the estate was so large, they had to tour it in this kind of open-air sightseeing car.

"I thought I had arrived at a Wagner." Hillary carefully boarded the vehicle and looked around to see gardens and greenery everywhere.

"I like to think in the garden; they keep me sane and always manage to capture those moments of inspiration."

Dean started the sightseeing car and began cruising slowly towards the villa at the back of the estate.

The scenery here was overwhelming for Hillary; she had never seen a single estate with two or three sports fields.

Some seemed to be still under construction, and then there were the statues, the horticultural arrangements; she felt like her eyes couldn’t take it all in.

"I like swimming outdoors, so I had a new pool built outside.

The previous indoor pool I’m planning to convert into a hot spring so that I can swim even in the winter."

Dean pointed towards a construction site in the distance; he planned to renovate the estate completely.

Some facilities he didn’t like were also slated for redesign, with a dedicated team in charge of this project.

The entire makeover was expected to be completed by the end of the year or early next year.

Of course, Dean’s big move couldn’t escape the media; newspapers had already published photos of the estate’s exterior.

The jaw-dropping price of thirty million US dollars astonished countless people, and with subsequent renovation costs, this investment would only rise.

But Dean spoke of it lightly, which made Hillary fall silent for a moment.

She couldn’t fathom the magnitude of such wealth since she had never encountered it before.

Over the years, she and Clinton, even with their under-the-table income, hadn’t amassed more than two million US dollars.

The largest sum came from the stock price surge during Byte Company’s IPO.

That time Hillary’s personal funds had increased by more than seven hundred thousand dollars, equivalent to nearly four years of her entire income from working at a law firm.

For the first time, Hillary experienced the allure of investment, and ever since, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

But compared to the extravagantly unimaginable estate before her, Hillary doubted she could even afford one of its swimming pools.

She took a deep breath and tried hard to divert her attention.

But the passing views continually reminded her that this was an estate worth thirty million dollars.

"By the way, I reserved a room here for you, so when you and Bill come to California, you can just stay here."

Amid light laughter, the leisurely sightseeing car had finally reached the villa’s front plaza.

"Can I stay here tonight?" Hillary blurted out upon seeing the even more luxurious villa before her eyes.

Dean was taken aback, then cracked a smile. "Of course, you’re welcome here anytime."

"Thank you. I think William would also be very much looking forward to visiting; it’s so beautiful."

Well, the Georgean mansion before her was yet another aspect of life Hillary hadn’t experienced.

Finally, after being continuously stunned by the garden, swimming pool, and mansion, Hillary couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Dean, do you remember what you promised me?"

"Umm~" Dean blinked, testing the waters, "The big deal?"

"I’m glad you remember it," Hillary shrugged, "You know, we’ve put a lot into the election.

William has bet almost his entire fortune on it, and I can’t bear to think what would happen if we lost.

Lately, we’ve been thinking about adopting a child from the orphanage, but the exorbitant costs are causing William and me to hesitate."

Hillary began to pour out her woes, as if a loss in the election would lead to her bankruptcy.

Especially since Dean made a hundred million US Dollars after the AOL IPO, which made her imagination run wild.

While she was eager, Hillary also felt a bit resentful; they had agreed to get rich together.

Yet it seemed like Dean had forgotten, and that made Hillary bitterly jealous.

"OK, let me think," Dean said, never having seen such a miserly side of Hillary before.

But since he had once made her a promise, Dean didn’t mind letting her in on a little action.

"So, have you heard of Intuit?"

"You mean Quicken?" Hillary had indeed heard of it since she had been studying Dean’s net worth.

Especially after the AOL IPO, she had researched the companies Dean had invested in, as well as Byte’s investments.

"That’s right, Quicken!" Dean was surprised she knew of the software.

"According to the plan, Intuit should go public next year..."

"Oh~God, how much can I invest?" Hillary asked impatiently.

Everyone knew that the probability of losing money on a new stock IPO was very low.

This blatant opportunity to get rich was exactly what she loved.

Dean spread his hands apologetically, "Not too much..."

Hillary looked somewhat disappointed.

"At most one million US Dollars~"

Ding! Hillary’s eyes lit up.

Alright, Dean’s version of ’not too much’ was somewhat different from her understanding.

It was almost half of Hillary’s entire net worth, but to Dean, it really wasn’t worth mentioning.

"OK, that’s enough," Hillary readily agreed, any more and she might have hesitated herself.

"I’ll notify you during the final round of fundraising, but your identity isn’t suitable for direct investment.

I’ll set up an investment fund for you, it’ll provide cover for you."

Every IPO was a cause for celebration, and Dean didn’t mind using them to win people over.

Apart from Hillary, he planned to take care of other stakeholders as well.

In America, the person who could make everyone rich was definitely at the core of the core.

"Dean, every time I come to California, I gain a lot," Hillary finally showed a smile.

Look at our governor’s wife, glowing with excitement from the good news and Clinton’s victory in the primary, her figure had even become fuller than before.

Tsk tsk, she indeed put on quite a bit of weight.

...

"Damn it! Dean, did you freaking rob a bank or something?"

Simon looked around in disbelief, "No way! This is like an ultra-cool kingdom of freedom!"

"You said it," John, equally stunned, was comparing the estate with a golf course.

They had read about it in the newspaper, but it was only when they came face-to-face with it that they could feel the shock.

"Alright guys, you can stay here for a week, then go find a place of your own," Dean said, accommodating them given their long journey from Ohio.

If there was one thing that wasn’t scarce here, it was spare rooms.

"Wow!" Simon cheered, dumping his luggage and sprinting to jump into the unfinished pool.

With a splash, the water sprayed the workers who were still installing umbrellas nearby, soaking them through.

"This guy~" Dean sighed, hands on hips.

His house had welcomed the second wave of people to run wild.

Simon had graduated from Cleveland State University, and after two months of winding things up, he and John had finally arrived in California.

This would be their launching pad, as Price’s List urgently needed to rise from the ashes.