novelnext Chapter 102 West of Philadelphia, all is wasteland
Chapter 102 West of Philadelphia, all is wasteland
Chapter 102 West of Philadelphia, all is wasteland
The office door was tightly closed.
The burning ambition that had been so intense just moments before gradually cooled down as Murphy sat back down on the sofa.
Reason regained control of the congressman's mind.
He was a seasoned veteran who had spent many years navigating the complexities of Washington, and he knew how many insurmountable chasms lay between "wanting to be a senator" and "I am a senator."
Murphy picked up the bond proposal on the table and looked it over again.
This time, he looked at the financial figures and risk assessment terms.
After the initial enthusiasm fades, we must always face the cold reality.
"Leo, your idea is brilliant." Murphy's voice regained its composure. "Use five hundred million dollars to leverage the port, use the port to leverage jobs, and use jobs to leverage the votes of the entire state. A closed loop of logic, it sounds impeccable."
He closed the file and tossed it back onto the coffee table.
"But that's just theory."
Murphy stood up and walked to the huge Pittsburgh map on the wall of his office.
"Do you know what the Democratic National Committee is thinking right now? Those big shots sitting in their Washington offices, their eyes are only on Philadelphia."
He pointed his finger and dotted the east side of the map.
"The political landscape of Pennsylvania is like a seesaw. To the east is Philadelphia, a densely populated and economically developed area that is a major Democratic stronghold. To the west is Pittsburgh, which, although also a blue-collar hub, is experiencing severe population loss and economic stagnation."
"The party's top leaders already had their preferred candidates."
Murphy turned around and looked at Leo.
"All the resources have been poured into him, while I am just an old soldier from the West."
Leo sat behind his desk, listening quietly.
He knew Murphy was telling the truth.
This is the reality of the political landscape.
Political parties value not only their ideals, but also their chances of winning.
In the eyes of those at the top, investing in Philadelphia offered a much greater chance of success than investing in the declining Pittsburgh.
"I could actually announce my own candidacy, no problem," Murphy continued, "but without the party's endorsement, I wouldn't get the national committee's campaign funding allocation, or the checks from those super PACs."
"This brings us to the issue of the $500 million bond we were just talking about."
Murphy spread his hands, revealing a helpless smile.
"It's a vicious cycle, Leo."
"This $500 million bond has a very low rating; it's considered junk bond by Wall Street. To sell it, we need federal credit guarantees, or at least underwriting from large investment banks with close ties to the Democrats."
"To obtain this level of financial support, I must be a party-nominated senator candidate with the ability to mobilize party resources."
"but."
Murphy emphasized his words.
"If I can't produce these $500 million in achievements, if I can't make a big splash in Pittsburgh, I'm not qualified to challenge the lieutenant governor of Philadelphia, and I won't get the party's support."
"Without the support of the Party, there would be no 500 million yuan in bonds."
"Without 500 million in bonds, there would be no support within the party."
Murphy sat back down on the sofa, looking somewhat dejected.
"It's a chicken-and-egg problem; we're trapped in this cycle. Unless you have magic that can suddenly drive the CEOs of Goldman Sachs or JPMorgan Chase crazy and make them willing to throw $500 million into this city full of rust and unemployed workers."
Silence fell over the office.
This is the high wall that stands between ambition and reality.
Leo didn't speak; he closed his eyes.
Although he devised the crazy plan to "kidnap" the Democratic Party with $500 million in bonds, he had to admit that he lacked sufficient experience when faced with the complex details of a statewide election campaign.
He didn't even have time to ask Roosevelt before proposing the plan whether an old-school congressman like Murphy had any chance of winning a statewide seat.
Of course, for him, whether Murphy can become a senator is secondary.
All he needed was for Murphy to get moving, like a donkey pushing a millstone, to help him pull back the $500 million in funding.
But if Murphy actually wins, then all of this will have a completely different meaning.
"Mr. President," Leo called out to Roosevelt in his mind, "is Murphy right? Is it really a dead end without party support? Or is he just scared off by the shadow of Philadelphia?"
Do you think he has a chance of winning?
Roosevelt's voice soon rang out.
"He's right, Leo. In conventional political logic, this is indeed a dead end."
"but."
Roosevelt then changed the subject.
"He only understood the first layer. He only saw Philadelphia's strength and the closed doors of the party headquarters, but he didn't see Philadelphia's weaknesses, nor did he see the real lifeline on this map."
"Turn on your computer and bring up the voter map of Pennsylvania."
Leo went to the computer and did as instructed. A red and blue map appeared on the screen.
"Look closely," Roosevelt said.
"Pennsylvania is a very special state. People often say that Pennsylvania is like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh at the two ends, with Alabama in the middle."
Leo looked at the map.
Philadelphia to the east is a deep blue, and Pittsburgh to the west is also a deep blue.
The vast area sandwiched in the middle, with its scattered small towns, farms, and mines, was all a glaring red.
That was Republican territory, a conservative stronghold, a place known as the "Pennsylvania Wilderness."
"Philadelphia is indeed the stronghold of the establishment," Roosevelt analyzed. "The machine there runs well, and the distribution of benefits is stable. But precisely because of this, it is also the place where progressives like Sanders have the least influence."
"There are too many vested interests there, and the system is too rigid."
"And that lieutenant governor of Philadelphia is a product of that system; he represents the interests of that system."
"He can get tickets to Philadelphia, but he can't get tickets to the middle wasteland."
"The workers living in the Rust Belt towns, the bankrupt farmers, hated the Philadelphia elites as much as they hated the bureaucrats in Washington."
"This is our opportunity."
Roosevelt's voice became impassioned.
"Pittsburgh may be poor and declining, but it is the epicenter of this shift. The working class here feels the pain most acutely, but also yearns for change the most."
"If he doesn't take an unconventional approach and relies solely on the traditional Democratic strongholds, he absolutely cannot compete with that Philadelphia golden boy. Trying to snatch votes from the establishment with the party headquarters closed is a dead end."
"Therefore, we won't steal their tickets."
"Let's go and steal the Republican votes."
"Look at that red wasteland in the middle. The people there have been forgotten by Washington for too long. They are angry, they are dissatisfied with the status quo. The Democratic Party leaders look down on them, and Republican politicians take them for granted."
"This is our opportunity."
"Take your five hundred million dollars, take those real jobs, and let Murphy charge into that red ocean."
Tell the miners, tell the farmers, don't talk about ideologies, just talk about bread and steel.
"This path is difficult, extremely difficult. It requires Murphy to take off his suit, jump into the mud, and fight his opponents hand-to-hand, even bearing the stigma of betraying his party principles."
"But as long as he can do it, as long as he can win the party primary with this power from the wilderness."
"Then the subsequent general election will just be a formality."
"Because when a Democrat can even shake up the Republican base, it means that no one can stop him."
"Tell Murphy not to look at Philadelphia's attitude. We're going to take a path that no one else dares to take."
"A fire started in Pittsburgh could burn all the way east along the Allegheny Mountains and through the entire wasteland."
Leo opened his eyes.
"John."
He looked at Murphy.
"Your logic is clear, but your premise is wrong."
"You think we have to get the party's support before we can issue bonds; that's a beggar's mentality."
Murphy frowned. "What else can we do? Rob a bank?"
"No."
Leo pointed to the location of Pittsburgh on the map on the computer screen.
"We cannot wait until we have support before issuing bonds."
"We want to use the act of issuing bonds itself to leverage their support."
Murphy, standing to the side, was stunned: "What do you mean?"
"Think about it, what was the campaign platform of that Philadelphia lieutenant governor?" Leo retorted. "It was nothing but the same old platitudes: better education, more equality, a greener future."
"Those things sell well in Philadelphia cafes, but in the Altuna mines, in Eri's factories, in these really decisive swing zones, nobody understands them."
"And you."
Leo pointed at Murphy.
"You have a check for five hundred million dollars in your hand. You tell everyone that this money isn't just a pie in the sky, but cash that's about to be deposited into your account. This money will turn into steel, into cement, into thousands of jobs with annual salaries of sixty thousand dollars."
"You don't need to ask Washington for your support."
"You must first create a fait accompli."
Leo's speech quickened, becoming increasingly inflammatory.
"We immediately launched a roadshow for the bond issuance, and we went to find those who were eager to find political safe-haven funds and emerging capital that wanted to bet on green infrastructure."
"Meanwhile, we'll go find Sanders."
"Tell him that this $500 million is his only hope of implementing progressive new policies in the Rust Belt. If he can't issue this debt, his show flat will collapse."
"For the sake of his own political legacy, and to prove that his path is correct, Sanders has to help us put pressure on Wall Street or seek credit guarantees from federal agencies."
"Once Sanders gets moving, all the resources of the progressive movement will be tilted toward you."
"What will the establishment see at this point?"
Leo gave a cold laugh.
"They will see that while that good boy in Philadelphia is still reciting his campaign speech, John Murphy in the west has already raised an army of unions, progressives, and thousands of workers, wielding a five-hundred-million-dollar hammer, and is smashing the Republican Party's stronghold in the wasteland."
"At that time, you won't be the one seeking the party's nomination."
"The Democratic National Committee had to beg you to run for them."
"Because only you can help them win Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state."
Leo walked back to his desk, placed his hands on the surface, and looked directly into Murphy's eyes.
"John, stop thinking about going to line up and get a number."
"We're going to build our own ship."
"This five hundred million dollars is our ticket."
"Now there's only one question: Do you dare to get on the ship?"
As Murphy listened to Leo's words, he felt his heart pounding violently against his ribs.
This is a strategy that completely overturns the traditional logic of election campaigns.
They executed first and reported later, using the emperor to command the feudal lords.
By exploiting Sanders' desire for rusty belts and workers' desire for jobs, they forced the entire party machine to serve them.
Murphy was an old-school politician, and his instincts told him that this was too dangerous.
But his ambition, that senator dream suppressed for twenty years, is now growing wildly, devouring his reason.
He looked at Leo.
In the young man's eyes burned a flame that both terrified and fascinated him.
That is the flame of power.
"You—" Murphy's voice was a little hoarse, "Do you really think Sanders would negotiate with Wall Street and the unions for our sake?"
"He will," Leo said confidently, "because he has no other choice; he needs a model of victory. And we are the only cards he has left."
"and."
Leo added.
"Don't forget Morganfield."
Murphy frowned. "Morganfield? He's a major donor to the Republican Party. How could he possibly support a Democrat like me?"
"John, I don't know if you're too nervous or taking those partisan labels too seriously," Leo chuckled. "Morganfield is a businessman first and a Republican second."
"Have you ever seen a true oligarch who likes to put all his chips on one table?"
"What they do best is bet on both sides, always on the winner's side, just like they did between me and Cartwright back then."
Leo leaned forward, looking at Murphy: "As soon as Sanders softens his stance and shows support, Morganfield will immediately sense the shift in the wind."
"Moreover, if you do win the election, you'll need to push forward infrastructure development statewide—you'll need to build roads, bridges, and increase employment. What does that mean? It means a massive influx of construction contracts, a surge in demand for steel, cement, and..."
The huge demand for heavy machinery.
"That's exactly what Morganfield wanted. For him, it was a business opportunity worth tens or even hundreds of billions."
As for whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, whether your policies are left-handed or right-handed, those are just slogans on paper, which can be changed at any time depending on the needs.
"Once the forces of politics and capital converge, and once he realizes that you are the one who can make him a lot of money, this bond will become the most sought-after commodity in the market."
"By then, he could also be a Democrat."
Murphy took a deep breath.
He walked to the window and looked out at the gray city.
West of Philadelphia lies only wilderness.
That was a forgotten land, a corner despised by the elites.
But that place is also a mine of immense political power.
That lieutenant governor of Philadelphia will never understand the language here.
Only he, John Murphy, a seasoned politician who had spent his entire life in Pittsburgh, knew how to deal with people whose hands were calloused from years of experience.
Leo is right.
This is a dangerous road, but it's the only one.
"it is good."
Murphy turned around, a resolute expression on his face.
"I did it."
Murphy reached out and slammed his hand down on the plan on the table, his gaze fixed intently on Leo.
"This $500 million bond deal must be flawless. There can be no loopholes in any of the legal documents or financial calculations."
"Those guys on Wall Street will scrutinize us with a magnifying glass. If we mess up on the technical level, not even a god can save us."
"Don't worry." Leo smiled. "Ethan is already preparing. He's a top student at Harvard Law School. This kind of document is a piece of cake for him. We'll give you a flawless plan."
"And one more thing," Murphy added, a eager glint in his eyes, "we need a catalyst."
"Simply issuing bonds isn't enough, or even just having the money in the account isn't enough. We need a launch ceremony that will make the entire state's media go wild, a signal that will make that Philadelphia kid tremble in front of his TV."
"I want everyone to see that the Pennsylvania renaissance that started in Pittsburgh is not just a slogan, but a reality that is happening right now."
Leo nodded.
"I'll give you a bombshell."
"On the day the bonds are issued, I will get the whole of Pittsburgh moving."
"I will have the workers drive bulldozers and dig up the first shovelful of soil for the inland port."
"Even if the money hasn't arrived yet, we need to get the dust flying. We need to show the whole state that your campaign is the future of Pittsburgh, and the development of Pittsburgh is your vote."
The two men's hands were clasped tightly together.
Leo successfully tied Murphy's political life to the steel and concrete of the city.
This is also a declaration of war against the political landscape of Pennsylvania.
From this moment on, Pittsburgh was no longer an isolated city.
It became the fulcrum that swayed the entire state.
Seeing Murphy's determined expression, Leo spoke to Roosevelt in his mind.
"Mr. President, it seems we have another gambler in our lives."
Roosevelt's laughter echoed deep within Leo's mind.
"Gamblers are great."
"There's nothing shameful about it, Leo. In fact, if you open this country's history book and wipe away all the high-sounding rhetoric, you'll find every page is filled with the word 'bet'."
"This country was originally founded by a group of desperate gamblers."
Roosevelt's voice turned low.
"Think about it, that Mayflower, which was almost falling apart, and that group of Puritans ostracized by Europe—were they conducting scientific research?"
"No, they are risking their entire family's lives, betting that corn can grow in that unknown wilderness across the Atlantic."
"On the night Washington crossed the Delaware River, his ammunition became damp and could not be fired. Did he really have a sure chance of victory?"
No.
"He simply staked the Continental Army's last remaining cards on that Christmas night."
"Losing means the gallows; winning means a new nation."
Even myself.
Roosevelt's tone carried a hint of self-deprecation.
"In 1933, when I ordered the closure of all banks across the country and declared a bank holiday, did you think I had a foolproof plan? My finance minister was terrified. He told me that this was unconstitutional and would cause even greater panic."
"But I still signed it."
"I'm betting that the American people trust me more than they fear losing their savings."
"I'm betting that if I speak firmly enough into the microphone, they'll deposit the money back instead of withdrawing it."
"In the end, I won."
"Leo, you must understand that in this world, so-called security and safety are often just shrouds woven by mediocre people for themselves."
"When the road is blocked, when the rules have become invalid, when the entire system is trying to crush you."
You have no other choice.
"You can only put all your chips in the middle of the table, stare into the eyes of fate, and tell it: I will either take everything or have nothing."
"Murphy finally understands this, and you've understood it for a long time."
"Now, let's step onto this gambling table and bet everything we have."
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