The man had a suit, well-combed hair, and a bright red tie. He had no Gala-Link, and all technology on his person had been created before 2060. He was quite old, but his staff assured him that being elderly helped him with certain demographics.
The crowd bustled noisily beneath the stage as the man stepped up to the podium. He took a deep breath as the mob focused on him and began to grow silent.
He smiled. “Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between and beyond, thank you for attending.”
“It’s not like we had much of a choice!” One of them jeered. Multiple voices began to loudly agree.
After a few seconds of rabble, the politician managed to regain the attention of the crowd.
“I understand that you’re not exactly pleased with the way Washington’s treated you, but I’m of a different ilk. My opponent isn’t here. Hell, my opponent voted against the 59th Amendment! Would you give power of representation over to someone who considers you second-class citizens?”
“You’re just using us for our vote!”
The politician feigned a shocked expression. “Using you? No, I sympathize with you! My doctor says that based on my current lifestyle, I’ll be one of you in about a decade.”
The crowd seemed to soften to this news. The politician’s tone softened as well.
“Shady Acres is a lovely cemetery.” The politician said. “When my time comes, when I’m buried, I’d very much like to be buried in a place like this.” He beckoned to one of the monuments, which was only partially obscured by holographic representations of the graveyard’s dead. “When I’m elected, I vow to direct funding away from schools and technology, and instead gear it toward better and more numerous memorials. It’s a shame that your achievements, the achievements you made while alive, aren’t more in focus in the public’s memory. When I become your representative, I vow to change all that.”
“They’re building a giant pyramid in Arizona. Can you get us a giant pyramid?” One of the post-life citizens jeered.
The politician’s smile was unwavering, but inwardly he sighed. He didn’t want to get caught in a lie, and would need to balance campaign promises with honest realism.
“It’s true that some districts are dedicating a bigger slice of the pie to their post-life constituents, and in Arizona specifically, where many lost their lives in the California Wars, the dead have a far greater pull then they do here. In our district the living still represent a small majority, so our finances must maintain a better balance. That said, when elected, I plan to introduce legislation that will create a booming memorial market, where the living will be given jobs caring for the dead.”
The crowd winced at the ‘d-word’, and the politician immediately felt his heart drop.
“Pardon me, pardon me.” He apologized. “I’m an old-fashioned man, so it takes me some time to drop offensive words from my vernacular. I’m sure many of you can empathize.”
Despite being filled with holograms of people in their prime, many of those in the crowd had died at an old age and remembered how difficult it had been to keep up with changing language in their later years.
“Hey, shit happens!” One of the men in the front row exclaimed. The tension had been broken, and the crowd began to laugh. The politician feigned a chuckle.