The Tyrant Billionaire

Along with the Global Times and their magazines, the Hardy Group had now become one of the top media companies in the country.

"Are you close with Hardy?" President Johnson asked.

This question was tricky to answer, and Williams thought it over for a moment before responding. "Yes, I have a good relationship with their boss, Jon Hardy. In fact, it was his idea to outsource the sales of the decommissioned materials. He said that professional matters should be handled by professionals. The logistics department isn't a sales department, so we should outsource it."

"After discussing it with the department, we agreed that he was right. This task could potentially consume a lot of our energy, so we decided to hire a professional company. Later, we gave the business to the Hardy Group, and they've indeed saved us a lot of trouble while getting better prices than we could have."

President Johnson offered a few more words of encouragement to Major General Williams before ending the call.

The President then stood up, walked over to the window, and looked out at the White House lawn, deep in thought.

Should he approach Hardy? Discover stories at M V L

Would he agree?

Hardy was from California, so his political alignment was likely with the Republicans. With Dewey's momentum being so strong, would Hardy choose to support him?

Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only four term President in U.S. history, had died on the 82nd day of his fourth term. According to the law, as Vice President, Johnson had automatically succeeded him as President.

This year, 1948, would bring a new presidential election. Johnson's opponent was the Republican Thomas Dewey. Most people believed that Dewey was certain to win this time, and that Johnson was doomed to lose.

The last poll showed that only a paltry 32% of voters supported Johnson.

The newspapers were full of praise for Dewey, with headlines like "Welcome Dewey, Our Next President."

Whether it was political pundits, Congress members, or even within the White House and the Democratic Party itself, most believed that Johnson had little hope of re-election this time.

Dewey secured funding from various foundations and traveled around giving speeches. Every place he visited would attract tens of thousands of people, while Johnson's supporters were few and far between. Johnson's campaign funds were also extremely tight, preventing him from holding large events.

Some newspapers even commented that this was the most uncompetitive election in history.

But how could Johnson be content with this? He wanted to seek re-election and had been working hard to put forth his proposals and increase his exposure as much as possible. Without money for planes, he would take the train and even give small scale speeches at stations and squares.

A few days ago, Dewey had an exclusive interview with NBC, where he spoke eloquently on television. According to surveys, hundreds of thousands of households watched the program.

Johnson understood the power of television, this new medium, which already showed signs of surpassing newspapers. It allowed for more freedom in expressing one's views, similar to giving speeches across the country, and gave people a more direct impression of you.

It was far better than the dry campaign slogans and political platforms found in newspapers.

When Major General Williams mentioned the Hardy Group to him, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck Johnson's mind.

In fact, he only vaguely listened to the rest of what Williams said, as his mind was occupied by one thought: The Hardy Group owns ABC. If he could do an interview on ABC, the impact would surely surpass Dewey's interview with NBC.

Because he knew that ABC's viewership ratings were undeniably the highest in the country, even surpassing the combined ratings of the other two major networks.

ABC's top programs consistently ranked among the top five most popular shows. Now, they had also launched a talent show called "Super Idol," which reportedly decimated the ratings of other programs. The other two major networks were so intimidated that they resorted to airing garbage programs during ABC's "Super Idol" time slot to avoid direct competition.

However, Johnson worried: Would Hardy help him?

This was not merely a business transaction. Since it involved the election, many people would view it as a political act. If Hardy agreed to let Johnson appear on ABC, it would be equivalent to endorsing him.

As a successful businessman, Hardy would be very cautious.

Being part of a California based consortium, he naturally leaned towards the Republican Party. The chances of him becoming a supporter of Johnson were very slim.

This was what troubled Johnson the most.

Suddenly, the street lamps in the White House courtyard lit up, illuminating the front yard.

Only then did President Johnson realize with surprise that it had gotten dark. He had been standing there for a long time.

Looking at the lights, Johnson suddenly made up his mind.

So what if I fail?

I'll contact him, and it's up to him to decide.

He returned to his desk, the "Resolute Desk," and picked up the phone to call the White House office. "Get me in touch with Major General Williams from the Logistics Department."

Major General Williams, seeing that it was late, was about to go home for dinner. Just as he was about to stand up, the phone on his desk rang. He picked it up and answered, "Hello, who's this?"

"Hello, Major General Williams, this is the White House office. The President is looking for you, please take the call."

Williams was a bit puzzled. Didn't he receive a call two hours ago? Why was there another one now? Could it be that the President didn't praise him enough earlier and was calling to praise him again?

When the call connected, President Johnson's voice came through the microphone once again: "Major General Williams, you mentioned earlier that you're quite familiar with Mr. Hardy from the Hardy Group, correct?"

"Yes, Mr. President," Williams replied.

"Williams, I'd like to discuss something with Mr. Hardy. Can you help me get in touch with him?" President Johnson asked.