American History 1988
Chapter 291 - 281 All Done

Chapter 291: Chapter 281 All Done

Under Baram’s invitation, everyone stepped forward and picked up the documents on the table to begin reviewing them.

They were about to make a joint statement to the public, but needed to align their viewpoints first.

For Silicon Valley, this was a prime opportunity for a collective appearance, which also meant they were declaring their allegiance.

"This is the technology outline I’ve prepared, Bill’s advisory team has urged me many times," said Dean.

Once he confirmed there were no issues with the statement, Dean signed his name on it.

However, as Clinton’s nominal technology advisor, Dean had another task at hand.

This outline was essentially an advisory report for Clinton once he moved into the White House concerning the development of the internet.

It could be just a recommendation or a reference for future policy-making.

Exactly how important it was depended on the status of the person submitting the outline in the White House or the tech industry.

"I will double-check it with John and his team and deliver it personally to Bill," said Baram.

Baram was a member of the Clinton campaign team; he had joined the election campaign in spring.

Yes, he had found someone willing to read his advisory report.

For this reason, Baram took a leave of absence from Apple and then dedicated himself to strategizing for Clinton’s campaign.

The selection of Gore as the vice-presidential candidate greatly boosted Silicon Valley’s confidence.

Now, with the sprint to the finish imminent, everyone was ready to throw their full support behind Clinton.

"Gentlemen, the press is just outside; it’s time for Silicon Valley to make its own statement!" said Baram.

Following Baram’s call, a line of people emerged from the Fairmont Hotel.

Click, click, the barrage of flashbulbs made the place as bright as day.

Had Silicon Valley, which had always been silent on politics, begun to explicitly support the Democratic candidate?

For the media, this was unusual, so many had turned up at today’s press event.

Before numerous cameras, Baram, representing the group, began to read their statement supporting Clinton.

As the list of names of those who signed the statement was read aloud, the reporters below buzzed with surprise.

Nearly 30 high-tech executives had publicly expressed their support, sending shockwaves through the industry.

"Why has Silicon Valley, which never involved itself in politics, changed its stance today?" asked a reporter.

"Silicon Valley doesn’t avoid politics; we’ve always been concerned about the increasingly serious economic issues. We’re just making our stance public now," was the reply.

"Politicians and businessmen in the internet realm had been sleeping, but now Clinton has awakened them.

This is psychological. If people believe that the country has reliable leadership, they’re ready to take action," explained Mitch Kapor of the Lotus Corporation, explaining his reason for attending today’s media event to the reporters.

"I’m still a Republican," said Sculley of Apple with conviction, "but I support Bill Clinton because I don’t believe America’s industry can withstand another four years of George’s bumbling."

"I’d say I’m more of an independent," the young Dean found himself surrounded by reporters, "but I care about politics.

I think Clinton understands business and technology, as well as the demand for a skilled labor force."

"Bill Clinton has shown his willingness to collaborate with high-tech firms to face international competition, something George hasn’t," added Paul Allaire, CEO of Xerox Corporation, elaborating on why they chose to support Clinton.

These executives, each wealthy and influential in the tech sector, were gaining collective identity, drawing the attention of all circles.

Under media coverage, it seemed Clinton was enormously popular amongst all demographics.

With the general election forthcoming, the outlook for the opposition party was increasingly bleak.

Just then, as a response, David Packard, the behind-the-scenes leader of Silicon Valley’s Republican elite, released a vehement letter.

He was eighty years old, having served as Deputy Secretary of Defense in the 1970s, theoretically now was the time for him to enjoy retirement.

But Silicon Valley’s collective shift towards the Democrats had caught the Republicans off guard.

Many well-known Republican supporters had begun defecting, like Apple’s Sculley and Oracle’s Ellison...

So here in Silicon Valley, the Republicans with no successors had to call upon this magnate to rally for George.

In his letter, Packard scolded his old friends for being "swept up in the rising thermal of Bill Clinton’s hot-air balloon."

Then he also gathered a group of high-tech industry executives to sign a letter supporting George.

Well, that directly split Silicon Valley into two camps, almost staging a rivalry.

However, Packard and his group’s actions were too late; it was already mid to late October.

Insiders from both sides had approximately calculated who would win.

Although Silicon Valley’s successive appearances came relatively late and weren’t enough to affect the final result,

it was a watershed moment for both the tech industry and political parties. Silicon Valley was no longer just a ’side show’ in the business section, but a powerful participant.

Its influence had increased to an unprecedented level, especially with the Democrats.

With just campaign funding alone, Silicon Valley had provided nearly a hundred million US dollars, which could change many things.

For instance, Clinton’s final campaign theme was ’Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow,’ and that ’tomorrow’ referred to Silicon Valley.

...

"Are you sure it’s a boy?"

"Dean, you’ve asked twice already," said Miranda, giving him an exasperated look, "Look, here’s the scan report."

"I just find it hard to believe, it’s so miraculous."

Dean had missed Miranda’s latest prenatal checkup because of business in Silicon Valley.

Her belly was now visibly bulging, after all, this little guy was already four months old.

And according to the results of this check, there was a high likelihood that the child in Miranda’s belly was a boy.

Upon hearing the news, Dean, after dealing with Silicon Valley matters, hurriedly flew to the East Coast.

Watching the little guy grow day by day, the feeling was indescribable, even making Dean anxious.

No sooner had he arrived in Washington than he had already begun grilling Miranda with questions.

He had seen the report, but it seemed that only hearing it from her could put his mind at ease.

"It’s a boy," Dean’s mood was quite good, "Miranda, we should name the baby."

"I happen to have a few ideas," Miranda said excitedly, fetching a book and then starting to flip through it.

"What do you think of the name Brian? It means strong, brave in Irish."

"Brian?" Dean was taken aback, "Dear, how about we choose another one?"

"Why?" Miranda was puzzled.

"Uh, don’t you have other ideas? Let me hear those first."

The name Brian reminded Dean of a certain unlucky fellow, so it was instantly rejected.

"Alright," Miranda turned to another page, "what about Redmond? It symbolizes strength and solidity."

"Next," Dean frowned, the name was too hard to remember and didn’t roll off the tongue.

Without waiting for her reply, Dean looked up, and Miranda was side-eyeing him.

"Let’s hear another, we want to pick the best name for him."

"OK," Miranda flipped a page casually, "Roy?"

"That’s the one!" Dean clapped his hands, "I like this name."

Forget it, no need to choose anymore, he didn’t understand the meanings behind these names anyway.

"Really?" Miranda finally smiled, "Roy, Roy..."

She muttered softly, then her face was filled with tender love.

"Roy" in Irish is synonymous with "King," a good name.

"By the way, when will Mr. Mather and his family arrive?" Aside from Dean, there were other guests in this luxurious villa today.

Miranda glanced at the clock on the wall, "I think they’ll be here soon. As for your family, I wonder if the plane was on time?"

"They’ll call me..."

"Dean! Where’s my grandson?"

Before they could finish their conversation, a noisy clamor arose outside.

Dean sighed helplessly, "Well, I didn’t expect them to find this place directly."

Having said that, he had already stood up to greet the arrivals, "Dad, why didn’t you call me?"

"I’m not an idiot!" Peter, dressed up for the occasion, said discontentedly, "I may not have graduated high school, but I know the 26 letters, so I can read road signs."

"Wow, you really are a genius!" After hugging him, Dean saw several more people coming out of the car.

"Aunt Rachel? Uncle Frank? And Debbie, Jerry?"

"Hey~ Dean!" Aunt Rachel got out of the car laden with bags and still didn’t forget to greet Dean warmly.

Uncle Frank made a gesture in front of his forehead with a smile, while Debbie and Jerry also seemed elated.

Dean was shocked by the scene before him; his dad hadn’t told him that the entire family was mobilizing this time.

Then he unconsciously looked at the brand-new Chevrolet "Behemoth" SUV parked out front, and sure enough, it bore an Ohio license plate.

"Don’t tell me you drove all the way here?" Dean asked this, but he already knew the answer in his heart.

"Ha ha~" Peter laughed proudly, "I knew this kid would be shocked!"

Frank also wore a proud expression; it had been a cool road trip.

"Dean?" Miranda, hearing the commotion outside, walked out with her belly sticking out.

"Oh~ my God!" Aunt Rachel showed an incredulous expression, "This is unbelievable!"

After getting a confirming look from Dean, Aunt Rachel came to Miranda in amazement.

She wanted to give Miranda a hug but was afraid to touch the little life inside.

Clumsy with excitement, Aunt Rachel’s eyes began to fill with tears.

"Aunt Rachel~" It was Miranda herself who went over and gently gave her a hug.

"This is wonderful!" Aunt Rachel wiped away her tears while constantly murmuring to herself.

"Kid, you finally didn’t let the Price family down." Peter also breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Miranda.

He had gotten Caitlin pregnant back in high school, but Dean was a full four years behind him!

That was lousy, but now it wasn’t too late, and Peter finally relaxed.

"Alright, let’s go inside," Dean didn’t care about the family honor Peter was talking about; after all, hadn’t two come at once this time?

As the rowdy group was preparing to enter the house, another Lincoln car drove up.

Seeing the familiar license plate, Dean shrugged, OK, everyone was here now.