Your Life as a Corrupt Politician

You used to be the good guy back in college. You organized protests for

college. You organized protests for clean water. You volunteered at homeless

clean water. You volunteered at homeless shelters. You believed the system was

shelters. You believed the system was broken [music] and you were going to fix it. You ran for city council at 26. Your

it. You ran for city council at 26. Your

platform was simple. [music]

Transparency accountability serving the people. You won by 12 votes. You

the people. You won by 12 votes. You

actually did it. You exposed corruption in the public works department. [music]

You pushed through affordable housing initiatives. Local newspapers [music]

initiatives. Local newspapers [music] called you a breath of fresh air. You

felt like a hero. Then you [music] ran for Congress. Bigger stage, bigger

for Congress. Bigger stage, bigger stakes. You needed money for the

stakes. You needed money for the campaign. Lots of money. A businessman

campaign. Lots of money. A businessman

showed up at your campaign office. No

appointment. Just walked in. Said he

liked what you stood for and wanted to help. He wrote a check for $50,000.

help. He wrote a check for $50,000.

You asked what he wanted in return.

Nothing. He said, "Just keep being you.

You won the election. You went to Washington. You were going to change

Washington. You were going to change everything." 3 months in, the

everything." 3 months in, the businessman called. There was a vote

businessman called. There was a vote coming up. A small tax provision,

coming up. A small tax provision, nothing major. Would you consider voting

nothing major. Would you consider voting yes? You looked at the bill. It was

yes? You looked at the bill. It was

complicated, dense. The provision would save his company maybe 2 million in taxes, but it would also save thousands of other companies money, too. Job

creators, economic growth. You voted

yes. 6 months later, another call.

Another vote. This one about environmental regulations, loosening restrictions on manufacturing waste. You

hesitated. This one felt different.

You'd campaigned on environmental protection, but the businessman explained it carefully. The regulations

were killing American jobs, forcing factories overseas. Was that what you

factories overseas. Was that what you wanted? Foreign countries with worse

wanted? Foreign countries with worse environmental standards doing the manufacturing instead. When he put it

manufacturing instead. When he put it that way, voting no seemed almost [music] irresponsible. You voted yes

[music] irresponsible. You voted yes again. Your environmental groups were

again. Your environmental groups were furious. They felt betrayed. You lost

furious. They felt betrayed. You lost

some supporters, but you gained others.

Business groups started praising you.

Pragmatic, they called you realistic.

The businessman invited you to dinner.

Expensive [music] steakhouse. He had

friends he wanted you to meet. Other

business leaders. They all had the same complaint. Too many regulations. Too

complaint. Too many regulations. Too

much red tape. They just wanted to do business. You started taking their

business. You started taking their calls, making introductions, helping navigate the bureaucracy.

Nothing illegal, just helping constituents. That's what

constituents. That's what representatives do. Four years later,

representatives do. Four years later, you ran for Senate. The businessman and his friends donated the legal maximum.

Then their wives donated, their children, their employees, their company's packs. Suddenly, you had 3

company's packs. Suddenly, you had 3 million in campaign funds. You won in a landslide. The Senate was different.

landslide. The Senate was different.

More power, more access, bigger players.

That's when you met the fixer. He showed

up at your office unannounced. Expensive

suit again. This man made no appointment. Your assistant tried to

appointment. Your assistant tried to stop him, but he walked right past her.

He sat down across from you [music] and smiled. "I solve problems," he said.

smiled. "I solve problems," he said.

"For people like you." You ask what kind of problems? The kind that end careers.

of problems? The kind that end careers.

The kind that ruin lives. I make them disappear. You should have kicked him

disappear. You should have kicked him out. Called security. Reported him.

out. Called security. Reported him.

Instead, you asked him how. He leaned

back in his chair. You have an opponent in your next election. Young guy, lots of energy, clean record. He's gaining in the polls. You knew who he meant. The

the polls. You knew who he meant. The

polls had you up by only five points.

What if, the fixer continued, someone discovered he had a gambling problem?

Nothing illegal, just debts, bad decisions, the kind of thing that makes voters nervous. Well, does he have a

voters nervous. Well, does he have a gambling problem? The fixer smiled. He

gambling problem? The fixer smiled. He

will. You told him to leave. You said

you weren't interested, but he left a card on your desk. Just a phone number, no name. Three weeks later, your

no name. Three weeks later, your opponent was still climbing in the pools. Your advisers were panicking. You

pools. Your advisers were panicking. You

were going to lose. You called the number. Two days later, photos surfaced.

number. Two days later, photos surfaced.

Your opponent at a casino. Tables full

of chips, looking drunk, looking reckless. The photos were fake. You knew

reckless. The photos were fake. You knew

they were fake. Doctorred. They were

fabricated. But they looked real. Real

enough for the news and real enough for voters. Your opponent denied everything.

voters. Your opponent denied everything.

Called it a smear campaign, but the damage was done. You won re-election by 12 points. The fixer called the next

12 points. The fixer called the next day, said you owed him a favor. You'd

pay eventually. Everyone pays. You asked

how much. He laughed. I don't want money. I want access. That meant names

money. I want access. That meant names of people who needed favors, contracts that needed approving, regulations that needed ignoring. You told yourself you'd

needed ignoring. You told yourself you'd stop after this one, after the next one, after you secured your position. But the

fixer always had leverage, always had something new, always had a way to remind you what he'd done for you. Six

years in the Senate, you'd become untouchable. leadership positions,

untouchable. leadership positions, invitations to everything, and you'd done things, dark things, things you couldn't take back. You'd helped bury investigations, made phone calls to

judges, ensured certain cases never went to trial, connected people who should never be connected. Nothing directly

traceable to you. The fixer made sure of that. But you knew late at night alone,

that. But you knew late at night alone, you knew. When the president asked you

you knew. When the president asked you to be vice president, the fixer called before you could even celebrate.

Congratulations, he said. Now we can really do some work. That was 2 years ago. Now you're sitting in your office

ago. Now you're sitting in your office with marble floors and oil paintings of dead leaders. Secret Service agents

dead leaders. Secret Service agents stand outside [music] your door. You

still tell yourself you're one of the good guys, that you're playing the long game, that once you reach the top, once you're [music] president, you'll cut ties with the fixer. You'll go back to

your roots. You'll be the hero you were

your roots. You'll be the hero you were supposed to be. You tell yourself this late at night when you [music] can't sleep. When the guilt creeps in, but

sleep. When the guilt creeps in, but deep down, you know the truth. You know

what you've become. The climb isn't over yet. You're not done. One more step. One

yet. You're not done. One more step. One

more position. The presidency. And

you'll do whatever it takes to get there. The phone on your desk rings. You

there. The phone on your desk rings. You

know who it is before you answer. The

fixer. He wants to meet tonight. Says

it's urgent. You meet him in a parking garage. We have a problem. The fixer

garage. We have a problem. The fixer

says, "There's a journalist, young woman, smart. She's been digging into

woman, smart. She's been digging into your past. Senate campaigns, committee

your past. Senate campaigns, committee votes, financial records. What did she find? Nothing yet, but she's getting

find? Nothing yet, but she's getting close. She knows the right questions to

close. She knows the right questions to ask. What do you suggest? The fixer

ask. What do you suggest? The fixer

pulls out his phone, shows you a photo, the reporter. She's leaving her

the reporter. She's leaving her apartment building, coffee in hand, completely unaware she's being photographed. I can make her go away.

photographed. I can make her go away.

Not permanently. Just discredit her.

Ruin her reputation. Make sure nobody takes her seriously. You stare at the photo. This is different. This isn't

photo. This is different. This isn't

fake photos of an opponent. This is

destroying someone's life, someone innocent, someone just doing their job.

How, you hear yourself ask better. You

don't know the details. Plausible

deniability. Just give me the green light. You should say no. You should

light. You should say no. You should

walk away. You should turn yourself in and accept the consequences. But you've

come too far. sacrificed too much.

You're so close to the presidency, so close to everything you've worked for.

You look at the fixer. You nod. Good, he

says. Consider it handled. 3 days later, stories start appearing. The reporter

has been accused of plagiarism, fabricating sources, ethical violations.

The accusations are lies manufactured, planted, but they work. Her editor puts her on leave. Her reputation crumbles.

Nobody will publish her investigation now. Nobody will believe her. You watch

now. Nobody will believe her. You watch

it happen from your office. You feel

sick, but you also feel relief. You're

safe for now. The presidential campaign launches 2 months later. The rallies are enormous. Thousands [music] chanting

enormous. Thousands [music] chanting your name. You shake hands. You make

your name. You shake hands. You make

speeches. You smile for cameras. But at

night, you see the reporter's [music] face. the accusations that destroyed

face. the accusations that destroyed her. The lies you let happen. You win

her. The lies you let happen. You win

primary after primary. You secure the nomination. Then three months before

nomination. Then three months before election day, something happens. The

reporter resurfaces.

She's been quietly rebuilding, gathering evidence, finding sources willing to talk. People who worked with the fixer,

talk. People who worked with the fixer, people who know what happened. She

publishes everything, not just the smear campaign against [music] her.

everything. Your Senate campaign, the fake photos, the buried investigations, the fixer's entire operation. She can't

prove all of it, but she proves enough.

The story goes viral. Every outlet picks it up. Your opponents [music] call for

it up. Your opponents [music] call for investigations. Your allies go silent.

investigations. Your allies go silent.

Your poll numbers collapse. Two weeks

before the election, you're down by 15 points. It's over. Everyone knows it.

points. It's over. Everyone knows it.

The fixer calls one last time. He can

still fix this, he says. One more play.

Something big. Something that changes everything. You know what he means.

everything. You know what he means.

Something drastic. Something that would cross a line you can never uncross. You

think about it. Really think about it.

For the first time in 15 years, you say no. You're done. You tell him. He warns

no. You're done. You tell him. He warns

you. He goes down. You go down. He has

records, [music] recordings, everything.

You don't care anymore. You hang up. You

lose badly on election night. Afterward,

you sit alone in your hotel room and your phone buzzes. Thank you for finally doing the right thing, the reporter. You

stare at the message. Then the FBI calls. They want to talk about the

calls. They want to talk about the fixer, about everything. You tell them, "Yes, you'll cooperate. Not for a deal, not for leniency, just because it's the

right thing to do. Finally, you think about the kid who organized protests in college, who believed in changing the world, who wanted to be the good guy.

Maybe that person isn't completely dead.

Maybe there's still a chance to be the hero. Not the one you imagined, not

hero. Not the one you imagined, not president, not powerful, just someone who tells the truth.