1RomanceEB Chapter 72 Neil's Political Initiation
Chapter 72 Neil's Political Initiation
Neil frowned, raised his hand and crumpled the promotional plan, which had taken the team a lot of effort, into a ball, then casually threw it into the trash can next to the table, his movements swift and forceful.
"Larry, you think you can fool me with this garbage? You have absolutely no political sense..."
Neil looked like he had just finished a brief meeting; his suit jacket was casually draped over the back of his chair, his shirt sleeves were rolled up, and he seemed quite relaxed.
Larry spread his hands innocently, decisively shifting the blame: "This was something 'Dinoble' and Susan came up with after discussing it, it has nothing to do with me."
Zike couldn't help but ask, "Neil, is there a problem with this plan? I think revealing the truth now would clear up public opinion, fit the song's theme, and boost sales—it's a win-win situation."
Neil seemed unusually excited today. He looked at Zeke, gave him a meaningful smile, and suddenly threw out a completely unrelated question:
"Zick, tell me, do you support the Democrats or the Republicans?"
Zik thought about it for a moment, and he really didn't have a definite answer to this question. His understanding of American politics was already superficial, and his scattered knowledge came only from school textbooks and occasional glimpses of news reports.
However, there have been rumors circulating within the company recently that Neil is hosting a large-scale campaign dinner for Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, showcasing his extensive network of connections.
After a moment's hesitation, he tentatively asked, "I think it's probably the Democratic Party?"
There are also family reasons for this. The Rossi family has been a Democratic Party member for generations, and it is said that the Democratic Party's political machine provided jobs and relief in his grandfather's generation, allowing the family to continue.
Neil suddenly threw his head back and laughed: "Zick. You don't need to pander to my position just because I hosted a dinner for the governor. To tell you the truth, I am a staunch Republican, and my political stance is completely opposed to Brown's. That dinner wasn't for campaigning at all; I was just trying to win over someone who could help me in the future."
Feeling a little embarrassed by having his thoughts exposed, Zik asked, somewhat puzzled, "Neil, aren't you also from Brooklyn? Why would you support the Republican Party?"
Italians, Jews, and Irish have long been regarded as second-class whites by mainstream society, and for a long time they were locked in slums in the city center just like blacks. Brooklyn has large areas of such ethnically mixed communities.
Through long-term intermarriage and mutual support among the underprivileged, Brooklynites of these three ethnicities often regard each other as one of their own when they are away from home.
According to Zik, the Democratic Party is a liberal stronghold, more inclined towards ethnic minorities and the underprivileged, advocating equality and inclusion, and absorbing the vast majority of ethnic minorities, youth and underprivileged groups.
No matter how you look at it, it aligns more closely with Neil's and his own background than the Republican Party, which represents the old elite class.
"Political stances are for others to see; what you keep for yourself is the exchange of benefits. To survive in the entertainment and financial worlds, you can't just associate with one party." Neil raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Zick, if you observe closely, you'll see that the long-standing anti-war marches, the sexual liberation movement, the endless radical street protests, coupled with persistently high inflation, have already made ordinary voters weary. The Democratic Party's model of big government, high welfare, and strong intervention is gradually losing the support of blue-collar workers."
"The Republican Party is the real liberal now. They advocate laissez-faire, small government, low intervention, and emphasize personal struggle and wealth creation through merit. They don't rely on welfare as a safety net; they rise to power entirely based on their abilities. This is the most suitable value system for people like us who have climbed up from the bottom—if you're ruthless, hardworking, and willing to commit, you can climb to the top of society and take control of your own life."
At this point, Neil suddenly leaned forward, clenching his right hand tightly in the air.
Qi Ke listened quietly, silently making plans in his mind.
He doesn't care about anything else, but the most obvious benefit of small government and low regulation is low taxation.
In just over a month, it will be tax season in the United States. After writing a huge check for $150,000, Amanda had just discussed the issue of paying taxes with Tino and felt deeply about it.
To support the costs of World War II and postwar reconstruction, the United States levied exorbitant taxes on high-income groups.
For incomes exceeding $200,000 per year, the government takes 70%. If various surcharges and special taxes are included, the tax burden for ultra-high-income groups can even soar to 88%.
This means that for top practitioners like Neil Bogart or Larry Harris, at least 70 out of every 100 dollars they earn goes into the national treasury, leaving them with very little.
The reason they desperately mix company accounts with personal spending, using company money to buy luxury cars, mansions, throw extravagant parties, reimburse various social expenses, and even drugs, is because they'd rather use the money they work so hard to earn to splurge on themselves, maintain their connections, and win people over than hand over most of it to the IRS.
The company's aggressive expansion is also based on this logic. Only by increasing company revenue and expanding legal expenditures can it avoid high personal income tax to the greatest extent possible.
His projected income for 1978 would easily exceed $20, and Tino suggested that he transfer all music copyright revenue to the newly established copyright company as business income.
Most daily expenses can be converted into "company business expenses," allowing you to take less or no personal compensation, with the company covering everything. As long as you don't withdraw profits as dividends, you can avoid high personal income tax.
Neil then steered the conversation back to the main point: "This promotional plan can indeed boost single sales in the short term, but the cost is too high. It will completely offend the entire Hollywood and the core Democratic Party forces that control California politics."
"Zick, think carefully, why?"
"Uh," Zeke pondered for a moment, his mind flashing back to the ethics review movement in Chicago last year, followed by a major scandal that broke out at the beginning of the month.
This is a very low-level case of forged checks. Columbia Pictures president David Bergerman embezzled company funds by forging signatures. The amount was not very large, but the nature of the crime was extremely disgraceful.
Following the incident, senior executives at Columbia Pictures urged Bergerman to leave immediately, otherwise the company's governance and compliance reputation would not be able to withstand the pressure.
However, Wall Street investment bankers and several heavyweight independent producers prefer not to push things too far, not to actively escalate the scandal to the criminal level, and not to destroy the company's market confidence. In their eyes, Bergerman is a capable contributor to the company's performance and should not be simply cut off.
The situation then reversed several times: Bergermann was first suspended and then reinstated, then stripped of his power, while at the same time he said he had to explain. The whole company seemed to be putting on a narrative of "there was indeed a problem, but we have it under control" to the outside world.
This case is currently being revisited daily by the national media, tearing open the internal governance of a listed film company, the Wall Street shareholder structure, and the power network of Hollywood star agents, studios, and big-name producers.
The entire Hollywood was in a state of panic, with no one knowing who would be investigated next.
After some thought, Zeke arrived at the answer:
"If Judy's experience makes the news, will conservatives use it as a moral target to criticize Hollywood's chaotic atmosphere and the industry's corruption, thereby attacking the California Democratic Party's poor governance?"
"Bingo!" Neil snapped his fingers crisply, his eyes full of approval. "That's exactly right."
"Casablanca is based in Los Angeles, backed by the Hollywood ecosystem. There's no need for them to stand against the entire industry for the sake of a single's popularity. Do you think Judy's experience is an isolated case?" Neil scoffed. "Almost every studio and every agency is doing pretty much the same thing."
"If we proactively expose sensitive terms like 'nude photos, coercion, and agent manipulation,' it will be like tearing away Hollywood's fig leaf once again. At that point, both Democrats and Republicans, in order to win over voters and seize the moral high ground, will rush to attack the entire industry. We will become the public enemy of all Hollywood, which would be a losing proposition."
Zeke felt he had learned something new and asked, "Can we use this approach to deal with the SAG? The Screen Actors Guild is essentially Hollywood's own backyard, and they'll definitely protect the overall interests of the industry. Maybe we can turn the tables and threaten them: if they condone Evelyn's malicious blacklisting of Judy, we'll make a big scene. At this point, let's see who's afraid of whom."
Neil laughed even harder, pointed to his temple, and said to Larry, "Look how fast Zeke learns, Larry, you need to be politically astute."
Larry rolled his eyes in exasperation, pretended to stroke his mustache, and secretly mouthed to Zeke, "Hey!"
It was only then that Zeke belatedly noticed the smell of leaves in Neil's office. In Casablanca, this smell was so common that almost no one would pay attention to it.
No wonder Neil is so philosophical today.
"Your thinking is correct, but there's no need to make it so complicated, Zeke." Neil picked up the phone. "I can settle this with a single phone call."
"Ronald, it's me, Neil. I need your help with something. We have a troublesome agent here trying to cause problems at SAG. Could you have them send her a warning letter?"
"Yes, that's the 'ethics clause' warning. Her name is Evelyn Foster. Thanks, I'll send you two cases of bourbon later."
The dialogue was simple and concise, without any unnecessary words.
After hanging up the phone, Neil shrugged and said, "It's all set."
Larry shrugged, asked no more questions, and gestured for Zeke and Tino to follow. The three of them returned to his office next door.
"Who did Neil call?" Tino couldn't help but ask after sitting down.
Larry wasn't particularly interested in politics, but he knew Neil's social circle inside and out, and casually replied:
"It's probably former Governor Lonner Regan. He lives in Bel Air, is an actor, and served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild. He's the one to contact for SAG matters."
"Wow, that's a big shot. This guy even ran for President of the United States in 1976," Tino exclaimed.