"[theme music playing]" "[Kate] When surface temperatures in the Atlantic rise above 80 degrees, conditions are ideal for a hurricane." "Westerly winds kick up condensation, forming cumulonimbus clouds which begin to revolve around a central axis." "On September seventh, these exact conditions gave birth to Hurricane Faith, currently barreling toward the Eastern seaboard of the United States." "On November 7th, 1984, a different sort of hurricane swirled into being." "A 25-year-old Harvard Law graduate took South Carolina State Senate District Fourteen by storm." "His name was Francis J. Underwood." "[Frank] How strong will it be when it hits?" "Simulators say Cat Three, possibly Cat Four." "Major devastation across a dozen states." "Yes, but some of these projections have it turning back to sea." "That's highly unlikely, sir." "Sir, FEMA's mission is to prepare for the worst." "First responders, medical, mass evacuation." "I'm worried about the funding." "The Disaster Relief Fund has been depleted by a third" " since you launched AmWorks." " That still leaves two billion." "Well, for this storm, we need four times that." "I'm about to meet with the leadership to ask them to replenish the fund, but I can't ask for that much." "We need eight billion minimum for bare-bones preparation." "We shouldn't gamble with something like this, sir." "Hundreds could die." "Maybe thousands." "[Tom] "The impossible made possible." "The thing no one else dares to do, that everyone says can't be done." "Imagine a boy standing on the shores of the Charleston Harbor." "Two miles away, a faint line on the horizon, is Fort Sumter." "All the other boys say it's impossible to swim there." "But this one boy thinks it can be done." "The others gasp as he kicks off his shoes, plunges into the water." "They watch with shock as he grows farther from the shore." "They whisper to each other solemnly, 'He'll drown." "He'll never make it.'" "'No, he'll turn around when it gets too hard.'"" "Mr. President." "Have a seat." "I'll have Jessica bring in some refreshments." "Henry Mitchell, the new Senate Majority Leader." "What happened to Hector Mendoza?" "Well, you don't declare a couple of paid speeches as income and boom, you're no longer in Congress, and certainly not running for president." "You got rid of Ronnie." "Hector loved that painting." "He's not gone, just in storage." "Just like Hector." "My father served under Eisenhower." "Drove his jeep in Normandy." "Your father was at D-Day?" "Utah Beach." "At Bastogne too." "Isn't this just a little love fest." "Gentlemen, the hurricane." "I need the DRF replenished." "The Speaker's calling for an emergency session tonight." "We're prepared to allocate ten billion." "I was only gonna ask for eight." "You sign the bill, you'll get the ten billion." "But no FEMA money or any other agency funds can be used for your jobs program again, under any circumstances." "Don't politicize this." "America Works and the hurricane are two separate issues." "[laughs] Excuse me, Mr. President, but you're the one that raided the DRF for political purposes." "We're correcting a wrong." "And jeopardizing the entire Eastern Seaboard." "[Bob] That's on the White House, not on us." "We're supplying the funds, the money you took illegally." "If you choose not to sign the bill, we can't be blamed." "We stepped up." "I thought you might try to make this about America Works." "And look, I admit, I may have overstepped." "But let me show you something." "Every day, I ask the Comms office to give me profiles of ten AmWorks beneficiaries." "These are success stories." "This is just a fraction of the 40,000 people that we put back to work." "With money that wasn't appropriated for that purpose." "[Bob] You don't get to break the piggy bank then ask us to glue it together and put in more pennies." "I've got over 50 Democrats and Republicans in both houses that have publicly supported America Works since its introduction." "The tide is turning." "Your own people are getting behind the program." "Then where are they now?" "Why aren't we getting calls?" "Why do they all support this emergency bill?" "If you pass it, I'll veto it, but there's no reason we have to turn this into a pissing match." "You know that we have the votes to override your veto." "It passes in ten days without a signature, regardless." "The only question is whether you're gonna sign it before that hurricane hits, or watch it become law after thousands have died." "Henry..." "I sat with Hector dozens of times at this very table and we were always able to work out our differences, to negotiate." "This isn't Hector's office anymore." "Or his table." "Gentlemen, is there no room for a compromise?" " No." " Bob?" "No, Mr. President." "It's going wide in an hour." "Seven governors, all up and down the East Coast." "They're demanding that you sign the bill." " Who tipped you off?" " Jim Matthews' flack." "Matthews is turning on us?" "What's it say?" ""President Underwood has undermined the separation of powers and put the fate of the entire East Coast in Hurricane Faith's hands." "I am joining with the Governors of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland--"" "That's enough." "I don't need to hear any more." "See how many governors you can get on the phone in 30 minutes." " Yes, sir." " I've got something else for you, sir." "The AmWorks case studies." "These are your ten for the day." " I don't have time for that now." " You should see this top file." "Freddy's working as a dishwasher." "He was one of the first people to sign up." "Should I prepare a statement in response to the governors?" "Sir?" "No statement." "No." "Not yet." "Yes, sir." " [woman] Yes, sir?" " Send a message to the entire cabinet." "I want a meeting tomorrow morning, first thing." "[Kate] "During his tenure as whip," "Underwood was known for employing intimidation, bravado and fear." "His recent stance against Russia is a continuation of strong-arm diplomacy, carried out by his wife, whom he appointed UN ambassador despite the Senate voting her down." "The use of FEMA funds for America Works shocked many, but it's simply the most recent in a career's worth of unilateral moves." "Minority Leader Bob Birch said, 'The President consistently demonstrates an utter lack of partnership coupled with reckless abandon.'"" "Sir, have you given any thought to simply signing the bill that Congress passed last night?" "How many of you think I should sign the bill?" "Well, surely, some of you think I should." "You know, I think too often, the people in this room are afraid of upsetting me." "And that's my fault." "I discourage dissent when it doesn't go with the things that I want." "So, I want you to be honest with me." "I won't hold it against you." "How many of you think I should sign the bill?" "Thank you." "You have all worked very hard to get AmWorks up and running." "I don't want to sign its death warrant until we have exhausted every resource available to us first." "So I need every department to draft a proposal of what they could do in response to the hurricane." "And if we still fall short, I'll sign the bill." "Is that okay with everyone?" "Let's aim for the day after tomorrow." "Thank you all very much." "The starting salary for an employee at Walmart is below the poverty line." "[crowd groans, boos]" "Now, the American government subsidizes Walmart to the tune of 7.8 billion dollars a year, by issuing food stamps to over one in ten of its workers." "But here's the scary part." "Fifteen percent of all food stamps are actually used at Walmart." "Meaning Walmart gets to double dip into the federal government's coffers." " [crowd booing]" " I'm as angry about it as you are." "Because Walmart's top executives have reaped almost 300 million in tax-deductible performance pay over the last six years." "That needs to stop!" "[cheering]" "We need to raise the minimum wage!" "[cheering]" "Cut down on corporate greed by regulating bonuses." "[cheering]" "It's time to balance the scales." "[cheering]" " Can we go through your call sheet?" " Just give me a second to decompress." "We've only got a half hour until the next event." " Doug called?" " While you were giving your speech." " What about?" " He wouldn't say." "[engine starts]" "[phone vibrates]" "How'd it go in Cedar Rapids?" "Well." "We got AFSCME on board." "Good turnout." "What's up?" "Sharp has an event in Dubuque tomorrow." "You're scheduled to be there too." " And?" " Meet with her." " Somewhere discreet." " Why?" "If we assume that Underwood is running, and we do, we should also assume that Sharp is on his team." "That doesn't answer the question." "I'm sure that Cynthia will object." "Hello, Cynthia." " Hello, Doug." " Object to what?" "You're going to talk to Sharp about the hurricane." "[reporter 1 on TV] ...that are perceived as helping average citizens feel more empowered." "[reporter 2] Who are some of the bill's key opponents and what are hearing in their on floor messaging?" "[reporter 1] Well, the White House would be the most prominent opponent if they slap the veto threat on this, saying it's" " Oh." "Thank you, Cynthia." " You usually work out at midnight?" "My workout is the only time of day the press corps gives me some privacy." "[exhales]" " How did your event go tonight?" " Fine." "I called bingo for half an hour at an old folks' home." "Well, that's pretty good." "Something a little different." "You gonna steal it the way you stole my talking points on the FEMA bill?" "You made good points." "I'm not above agreeing with the opposition when they're right." "Mm..." "But I'm surprised you've been so critical." "I thought you and Underwood were close." "I'm not above disagreeing with an ally when they're wrong." "In the spirit of what's right, I want you to know I'm suspending my campaign." "When the storm makes landfall," "I'm going to ask people to donate to the Red Cross instead." "And I'll be heading out east to volunteer." "That doesn't sound like a suspension." "That sounds like opportunism." "No." "I'll ask the press to leave me be." "I can't force them to, but we won't offer any logistical support." "You want me to suspend as well?" "We can announce together." "That takes the politics out of this." "[chuckles softly]" "The cynical side of me thinks that it benefits you if I stop my fundraising right when I'm hitting my stride." "Well, I'm not appealing to the cynical side." "I'll leave you to your workout." "You have kids now." " I have a husband." "He has kids." " You don't consider them your own?" "It's late, Heather." "I bring it up because they ground me." "I don't know if you've felt this way since you got married, but... when I think about my kids and this hurricane..." "What if we didn't have the money and advantages we do?" "What if they were in harm's way?" "What if they needed help and didn't have it?" "Puts everything into perspective for me." "This... campaign seems meaningless." "It pales in comparison to their well-being." "Have you felt that at all?" "Since you became a mother?" ""Consulting with state governments" is way too dry." "Put in "working closely."" " Don't you think that's disingenuous?" " Why?" "These seven governors just publicly condemned the president." ""Working closely"?" "Well, I condemn you every day but I still work closely with you." "[phone rings]" "So, I need to take this phone call." "Uh... punch it up, bring it back to me." " Doug?" " I have a message for the president." "What is it?" "Tell him Jackie and Dunbar met in Dubuque tonight." "And tell him I'm the one who told you." "What did they meet about?" "Suspending their campaigns after the hurricane hits." " How do you know this?" " Just tell him." "Are you working for Jackie, under the radar?" " No." " Dunbar?" "I'm just looking out for the president." "Give him the information and tell him who it came from." "I'll let you know if I learn more." "[Tom] "The water was cold and the current was strong." "With every stroke, the boy had to fight off chills and battle the tide rushing in from the sea." "Anyone watching him, as his schoolmates did from the shore, barely making out a tiny speck moving slowly across the water, would've thought he stood no chance." "But that thought never entered the boy's mind." "His muscles ached, his heart pounded, but the water would not defeat him."" "I want rec centers and town halls, but the most important thing is schools." "They're the key." "Well, every school east of Ohio." "You tell the governors that push back, tell them we'll pay for the shutdown days and overtime with what's left in the DRF." "No, we'll figure out how to get people there through some other department." "Just get me the schools!" "I keep telling them to stop bringing those." "I know." "I got these myself." "Oh, thank you." "That's sweet." " Any progress?" " Some, but not enough." "Did you mean it today, when you raised your hand?" "No." "But I knew if I did, the others who wanted to would be less afraid." "Is that it?" "The bill?" "Yes." "They delivered it just after the cabinet meeting." "Maybe I should just sign the damn thing." "The longer I wait, the bigger target I become." "Well, the cabinet's working hard." "Stick to your guns and give them some time." "Well, it could turn." "Or dissipate." "Hurricane Humberto was on the same trajectory as Faith." "Everyone thought that was gonna wipe out seven states, but in the end, it turned south and never became more than a Cat One." " How good are the chances?" " Extremely poor." "But... there's still some hope." "Relax for a minute, Francis." "We should cancel the UN ceremony tomorrow." " What?" " Maybe it sends the wrong message." "No, it's a great victory for you." "For us." "But celebrating in the middle of a crisis, I don't" "Well, that's exactly what we should be doing." "You made this resolution happen." "It's the one good notch we have on our belt since we moved into the White House." "I'll be damned if I'm gonna let this hurricane rob us of that." "[Kate] "When Congress refused to support a peacekeeping mission in the Jordan Valley, the president deployed troops anyway, stating his authority as Commander in Chief."" "[Tom] "The ramparts of the fort were still a mile away." "But he had reached the point of no return." "Turning back was no longer an option."" "[Kate] "With the world's eyes upon him, he continues to ignore precedent, convention, and some would say the law."" "[Tom] "Why did he cross that invisible line?" "Why risk his life despite the great odds stacked against him?"" "[Kate] "Critics have been harsh." "And yet most have stopped short of naming Underwood what he truly is:" "a tyrant."" "[Tom] "What drove Napoleon to keep marching toward Moscow?" "Or Hannibal to cross the Alps?"" "[Kate] "The warning signs are there." "It's our responsibility to heed them."" "[Tom] "What kept a young Frank Underwood swimming onward?" "And what kept him from drowning?"" "How did Seth learn this?" " Jackie's comms director." " And this happened last night?" " From what I can gather." " So why am I just hearing about it now?" " I didn't hear about it before." " She was trying to keep it a secret." "But you're supposed to be keeping tabs on her." "The fact that you didn't know, and only found out from Seth" "I'm not in Iowa, sir." "I'm here running your staff." "Excuse me?" "Just because Jackie and I have a personal history doesn't mean I know her every movement." "We are not talking about your ex-girlfriend." "We're talking about my running mate." "And if she can't be trusted, I can't force her to reveal things she doesn't want to." "You convinced me to make the deal with her in the first place." "We needed information." "She had access." "And now she's lying to us." "Maybe you should speak with her before we consider this a crisis." "I don't like your tone, Remy." " You're blowing this out of proportion." " Watch yourself." "When I worked for you in Congress, you always told me to be straight up with you." "I wasn't the president then." "So you just want me to apologize and be a yes-man?" "I want you to treat this office with respect." "You owe your staff that same respect." "I gave you a position in the White House when no one would touch you." "I don't owe you a damn thing." "How long you gonna hang that over my head?" " Oh, it's like you want me to fire you." " You couldn't, and you know it." "Not right now." "Seth and I are the only two soldiers you have." " Get Jackie on the phone." " Yes, sir." "[knocking on door]" "Sir, Congresswoman Sharp calling for you." "I'll take it in here." "Sir, we'll gladly polish those for you." "I'm happy to do it myself." "Thank you." "Yes, sir." " Congresswoman." " I apologize if you hear chewing." "This is the first chance I've gotten to eat all day." "Non-stop events." "I'm surprised you have an appetite after meeting with Dunbar." "Her people asked." "I said yes." "I thought I'd see what she wanted before bothering you with it." "Suspending your campaigns?" "I'm assuming that you told her no." "I told her yes." "You realize she's just preying upon your good nature to stop your fundraising." "Even if that were the case, the politics work in my favor too." "It's insensitive to campaign during a catastrophe this big." "It could backfire on me." "We don't know that it's going to be a catastrophe." "Weathermen can be wrong, Mr. President, but not every weatherman in the country." "All right, even if that's true, you should attack her for using the hurricane to score sympathy points." "I've discussed it with my staff." "This isn't just your campaign, Jackie, this is our campaign." "May I offer you some advice, sir?" "Sign the bill." "If you don't, and the storm hits, you and I won't have a campaign." "You should get back to your dinner." "[indistinct chatter]" "[man clears throat, speaks Spanish]" "Hey, everyone." "Let's put down the dishes for a second." "I need to talk to you." "Here's the deal." "I hired you three under America Works." "And as much as we can use the manpower," "I can't afford it if the program gets ended." "I might be able to afford to keep two of you if you split shifts, but I can't keep all three." "[Kate] "A storm has been forming not for weeks, but for decades." "Its name is not Faith, it's Francis." "The entire nation is in his path, and if we ignore the warning signs," " we have no one but ourselves to blame." " "...no one but ourselves to blame."" "It's not an article." "It's an opinion piece." "I know." "The paper can't take this editorial stance." " It's too speculative." " I'm aware." "Print it as a column." "The moment I do that, you cross over to the other side." "We can't keep you on your beat." "So replace me." "I want a column." "It's time." "Kate, you're on track to be managing editor." "You toss that out the window the moment you switch over to being a columnist." "I don't want to be editing other people's words." "I want to be writing my own." "And not just the news, I want my ideas out there." "You know the Telegraph will let you do anything you want." "But we need you reporting on the president." " Nobody does it better." " My bias is clear." "You shouldn't keep me on as a reporter anyway." "I'll tell you what." "We can make this work as an analysis piece." "You tone down the speculation, stick to the facts and quotes" " Speculation is the entire point." " Fine." "Just... give me a little something from the other side, to balance it out." "You know they're not gonna give me a quote." "Even if it's a source just tangentially associated with the administration." "You do that, we can print this and keep you as a reporter." "I got an idea who I can talk to." "[Tom] "On another day, with warmer water, with the current carrying him, he might have made it." "But on this day, he would only make it halfway before his arms gave out and the numbness overtook him, before the coast guard pulled him out of the water despite his protests." "Was he reckless?" "Was he foolish?" "Possibly." "One thing can't be denied, however." "What others saw as impossible, he refused to believe as such." "The water proved him wrong." "He fell far short of the other shore." "And yet he made the attempt." "And that... is everything."" "That's just the prologue." "You don't mention America Works once." "On purpose." "That is what the book is supposed to be about, isn't it?" "You don't like it?" "I do like it." "I just wonder if I..." "Well, maybe I don't..." "understand what you're trying to do." "Nobody cares about an idea." "They might care about a man with an idea." "I only care about the man." "The whole book will be like this..." "these vignettes." "Like a collection of short stories." "Do you mention AmWorks anywhere?" "Nope." "[chuckles] Not once." "[laughs]" "Well..." "I did want the book to be different, but I..." "It just seems that that might" "I think it might be the best thing I've written in years." "It could also be utter and complete shit." "But when I can't tell the difference, it's usually a good sign." "I just don't want to lose sight of the bigger goal." "I don't know any other way to write it." "[sighs] If you want something different, now's the time to find somebody else." "No, I want you to finish it." "Even though I have... no idea if it will end up being relevant if I end up... signing this bill." "Are you going to?" "I don't know yet." "If I do, of course, I'll pay you in full if the book becomes unnecessary." "I'm not doing this for the paycheck." "What do you think?" "Should I sign it?" "Well, I have skin in the game." "So the selfish part of me says no." "But... honestly?" "No book is worth people losing their lives." "Yes, but it's not just about the book." "It's about putting people back to work." "People can't work if they're dead." "[Frank] Well, I'm gonna obviously be very occupied by this hurricane for the foreseeable future." "Let me think on this for..." "You'd better not fuck him over." " Excuse me?" " With what you're writing." "I don't intend to." " The part about being foolish?" " You eavesdropping?" " He's not foolish." " That wasn't my point." "I wouldn't take a bullet for a man who was." "Let's go, your car's waiting." "As of tomorrow, Congresswoman Sharp and I are suspending our campaigns." "We will be traveling to areas affected by Hurricane Faith, along with our campaign staff, in order to volunteer in whatever capacity is most helpful." "We're also suspending any donations, and urge our supporters to donate to the Red Cross" " and other hurricane relief agencies." " [speaking Spanish]" "[Durant] In times of suffering, it's important to suspend politics and do what's best for the country." "We look forward to resuming our campaigns when the storm has cleared and the people of the east coast are safe." " [applause] - [reporter continues indistinctly]" "Freddy?" "[Meechum] The President would like to see you, Mr. Hayes." "I still got two hours left on my shift." "It's fine, Freddy." "You can go." "Do you mind if I bring my grandson?" "Daycare got shut down 'cause of the storm." "Of course." "We got a car waiting." "[Freddy] Come on, DeShawn." "We going to see the president." "[door opens]" "Freddy." " It's good to see you, Frank." " Thank you for coming." "And this must be DeShawn." "How are you, sir?" "Oh." "That is a firm handshake you have." "Well, you want to go over and sit at the desk?" "Go ahead." "[Frank chuckles]" "Yeah, I do that too, sometimes." "That desk might be yours one day." "Would you like to be the president?" "Yeah." "Well, to be president, you have to get good grades in school." "Now, I see you brought some of your schoolwork with you." "I have an office just around the corner in here, maybe you'd like to go do your work in there." "Or we also have a PlayStation if you'd rather play that." " What games you got?" " Oh, we have plenty of games." "Meechum will show you." "What can I get for you?" "Coffee, a soda, a beer?" " No, I'm good, thank you." " Please sit down." " You signed up for America Works." " I did." "I've got 40,000 case studies just like yours." "And I also have a bill on my desk that's gonna cut the funding for all 40,000." "Yeah, I been following on the news." "I'm gonna sign it." "There's too many lives at stake with this storm." "Sounds like the right thing to do." "Freddy, you deserve a job, and Congress is forcing me to take it away." "I've spoken to our head of operations, and if you want it, there's a job for you here." " Now, it's not charity, but" " What's the pay?" "Well, I don't know the exact figures, but I figure somewhere around three grand a month." " I know that's not great, but I" " Healthcare?" "Well, yes, of course." "That's included." " For DeShawn, too?" " That's right." "All dependents." " What's the job?" " The kitchen." "Helping prep food for the chefs." "Well, as long as it's, you know, above 2,800 a month." "That's what I need to make my rent and make sure DeShawn has everything he needs." "I'll put you in touch with the head chef right away." "I was wondering..." "if you had anything else?" " Besides the kitchen." " Well, I just assumed that" "I've been working in kitchens my whole life." "Just 'cause I owned a rib joint don't mean I like working in 'em." "Well, what would you rather do?" "You got groundskeepers out there." "I noticed 'em chopping' branches when we were driving in, for the hurricane." "You'd prefer that?" "Always wanted to work outside." "Well, I'm sure that something can be arranged." "I want to be president one day." " Well, that's never gonna happen." " But he said I could be." "Listen up, boy." "He lied to you." "The truth is, you ain't never gonna be president." "It's just like them basketball players you got posters of." "They say you can do anything, be a superstar, too." "But they were born to be seven feet tall and if they wasn't, tell me what would they have?" "Nothing." "Half of them can't even read a damn book." "No, boy, this place ain't for you and me." "It's good to have dreams, just so long as they're not fantasies." "You let anybody sell you that shit, it's your own damn fault." " You hear me?" " Yeah, I hear you, Pop." "I'll get it to the House right away." " [Seth] Green light on the release?" " Yes." " [indistinct chatter] - [soft jazz plays]" "I don't remember giving you my phone number." "You didn't." "Your publisher did." "He wants me to write a book." "I'm surprised you never have." "I'm sure any book you wrote would do ten times what mine do." "[scoffs] Not as much as Scorpio." "As any I've written since." "I read it in college." "Did it change your life?" "That's what you hear all day long, isn't it?" "If I still got recognized on the street, which I don't." "Mostly at book signings, which I don't recommend if you write your book." "I didn't ask you here to discuss my book." " No?" " I want to discuss yours." "Oh..." "I'm working on a piece, and it won't go to print unless I get a comment from the White House." "I'm not a part of the White House." "Doesn't even have to be a quote, just something... that I can paraphrase, like," ""According to someone close to the administration..."" " Doesn't have to be on the record." " I'm not commenting on the book." "Tom, you got access no one else has." "For a reason. 'Cause he knows I won't talk." "Especially to you." "Well, can I buy you a drink?" "Getting me drunk won't work." "You came out to meet me here." "I owe you one." "Why don't I buy you a drink?" "How about we have a few?" "A few." "I can live with that." "[knock on door]" "[Claire] I'm so sorry, Francis." "I know how hard this is." "It was out of my hands." "I can't control the weather." "Still." "What frustrates me more than anything is we were starting to turn the ship." "I was getting support in Congress." "A few more months... and the leadership would've had no choice but to support America Works." "Well, if it's any solace, Cathy just called." "The Russians are willing to contribute troops." "To the peacekeeping force?" "They don't want to be left out." "No catch, no conditions?" "None." "There's too much pressure on them in the UN." "So the isolation worked." "They're sending 300 troops." "That's incredible." " We did it." " Oh, no, not we." "It was all you." " Join me for dinner?" " I'm gonna turn in." "This early, huh?" "I'm gonna be up three straight days once this hurricane hits." "I need to get all the sleep I can." "That's a good idea." "I'll leave you be." "Have one of the stewards wake me when it hits the coast." "[door closes]" "[door opens]" "Francis." "Francis?" "Where did it make landfall?" " It didn't." " What?" "The hurricane turned." "[man] It's due east now." "It might hit Bermuda." "But it'll, uh, dissipate quickly now that it's reaching colder water." "It looks like we dodged a bullet, Mr. President." "I barely got the money in time for a halfway decent response." "How do we pull back on the bill?" "Already delivered to Congress, we put out a release." "There must be some parliamentary procedure that will nullify my signature." "I checked with the White House counsel." "The bill is officially law and the money's already been appropriated." "[newscaster] FEMA is assisting thousands of evacuees returning to their homes." "With the exception of moderate flooding in Georgia due to rain from the outer bands, the rest of the Eastern Seaboard was left virtually untouched by the hurricane everyone expected to be the storm of the century." "The biggest casualty to Faith was not life or property, however, but rather President Underwood's controversial America Works plan, which Congress defunded in order to free up resources for storm-related disaster relief." "The president himself signed the emergency appropriation into law after facing immense pressure from both parties and the media." "So you're out of a job, I guess." "Probably." "Wouldn't be the first time." "If it makes you feel any better, there's no way my story'll get printed now." "Why?" "Because I wouldn't give you a quote?" " No, it was a whole hurricane metaphor." " Hm..." "Kind of takes the wind out of the sails if there's no hurricane." "Well... at least you got laid." "Yep." "That... that's poetic." "Yeah." "I'm a writer." "Yeah." "[phone vibrates]" " What is it?" " I gotta go." "Is that your way of getting rid of me?" "No." "It's the president." "I'm gonna need the shirt back." "If you asked me over to let me go, it wasn't necessary." " But I appreciate the thoughtfulness." " I'm not letting you go." "This book is more important now than ever." "But..." "America Works is done." "Well, there's only one way to get it back on track." "I'm announcing my candidacy for 2016." " Wow." " I couldn't run before." "I didn't have the money and I didn't have the leadership's backing." "But now that I've proven what AmWorks can do, the money and the support will be there." "A vote for Frank Underwood is a vote for America Works." " You were right." " How was I right?" "Come over here, take a look out the window." " You see that man working over there?" " Mm-hm." " That's Freddy Hayes." " The ribs guy?" " He's a groundskeeper now." " That's generous of you." "No, it wasn't." "It's my job." "You wrote that I refuse to see the impossible as impossible." "Freddy is one job." "I have ten million more to go." "That's my story and that's why you were right." "So you wanna get back to work?" "I'm in." "Now?" "I don't have my notebook." "Oh, um..." "The pen I signed the bill with." "All right." "Let's do it." "I never tried to swim to Fort Sumter." "Thomas probably knows I made it up, but he wrote about it anyway because he understands the greater truth:" "imagination is its own form of courage." "Let's talk more about that swim." "I really did come this close to drowning."