Jim Balmer ran for the Texas state senate and was elected in a landslide, defeating his Democratic opponent by a margin of 83%-17%. Two years later he ran for congress and won handily and now he was the prohibitive favorite for the Republican nomination. Despite his initial reluctance to become a professional politician, Jim Balmer was enjoying life on the campaign trail, he enjoyed meeting everyday Americans and listening to their struggles and being able to offer them the promise of hope. The stories of the economically disaffected were especially affecting to him. He could see no other explanation for the agricultural crisis in the country other than that it was a divine plague, and the more he traveled the country the more people he encountered who shared his belief and the more convinced he became that he was right. He took to the stage at his rallies with the utter conviction that his words were rallying the spirits of those who received them with an irrepressible resolve to reclaim the American dream, and it was no different that afternoon in Erie, Pennsylvania.

"My fellow American patriots, you are all here because you recognize the same thing that I do: our country is facing divine retribution! Just like when God punished the Egyptians with the Ten Plagues for disobeying him, so too have we been made to suffer the Lord's wrath for our failure to remain true to his word! We have invited this wrath upon ourselves, the plague that has destroyed our farmlands is the divine punishment that we have been selected to suffer because of our tolerance of homosexuality, of abortion, of divorce, of sex before marriage and any number of other sins that I could name!

"My fellow Americans, the path forward that we need to take is clear: we need to demonstrate to the Lord that he can once again look upon us as his faithful disciples by returning morals and values to our government and our society! Vote for me and for every Republican candidate down ballot and we will outlaw homosexuality and murdering of children and every other sin that we have been guilty of! When we do that our country will be cleansed and I guarantee you that the Lord will forgive us and lift this plague and our farmers will once again be able to do the work of feeding America and the world! Thank you ladies and gentlemen! God bless you and God bless America!"

Robert stood in the audience at Jim Balmer's rally and could feel the energy radiating from the people around him. These people believed wholeheartedly that their salvation rested in the hands of Jim Balmer. Looking around him, Robert could see that Jim Balmer was no whackjob, he was the real deal, and for the first time since the election began, Robert thought that he was looking at the next president of the United States.

"He has quite an eye for talent, doesn't he?" The goose said to Robert about the Raven.

"What are his chances?" Robert asked about Jim Balmer.

"I'd say he's got more than a good chance of winning."

"But if he loses the election..."

"You think the election matters? What you are witnessing is the coming to fruition of a plan that was set in motion by the Raven over a thousand years ago, he's not going to allow something as trifling as an election scupper his plans."

After the rally, Robert and the goose resumed their journey with Robert deep in thought, struggling to come to grips with his role in all of this. The Raven's choice of Jim Balmer was a smart, calculated move. Robert couldn't do what Jim Balmer was doing and couldn't imagine himself being as useful to the goose as Jim Balmer was to the Raven. He saw their chances against the Raven as being very slim and contemplated whether it would be betterfor him to step aside and give the goose the opportunity to pick somebody else who would be more effective. His curiosity stopped him, his desire to know the truth was too strong. Robert wasn't a religious person, in fact he was a lifelong skeptic, but he was of no doubt as to the veracity of everything that the goose had told him, no matter how farfetched it sounded.