novelnext Chapter 104 Whose idea was it?
Chapter 104 Whose idea was it?
Chapter 104 Whose idea was it?
In the mayor's office, John Murphy's forehead was covered in sweat.
Leo looked at Murphy, his gaze steady.
He didn't speak, but conveyed a silent support to the congressman who was on the verge of collapse with his eyes.
Just seconds before, Murphy told the person on the other end of the phone that he was running for senator.
There was a suffocating silence on the other end of the phone.
Sweat trickled down his temples and dripped onto the collar of his expensive suit.
Finally, a voice came through the receiver.
Daniel Sanders' voice was unusually calm, so calm it was unsettling.
"Go on."
It consists of only three simple words.
But for Murphy, those three words were tantamount to a pardon.
Murphy took a deep breath, glanced at Leo, who nodded slightly and made a firm downward slicing motion with his finger in the air.
"Daniel, I know the party leadership favors that lieutenant governor." Murphy's voice gradually steadied as he began to play his part. "He's a darling of the establishment; he has Wall Street money and Philadelphia's vote bank. Using conventional tactics, I can't beat him, I can't even get past the primary threshold."
"But I don't want to play the conventional way anymore."
"We've decided to take the initiative."
"We are going to issue a municipal special bond with a total amount of US$500 million."
A soft gasp came from the other end of the phone; clearly, the number had struck a nerve with Sanders.
Murphy continued, his speech becoming faster and his thoughts becoming clearer.
"Daniel, if this continues, the progressives will simply disappear without a trace."
"Now is the best time."
"Because of Leo's previous actions, the eyes of the entire United States are on Pittsburgh. The media is watching us, the Republicans are watching us, and the supporters of the progressives are also expecting us."
"We want to use this attention to turn this $500 million into a nuclear bomb."
"We will use this money to directly launch large-scale infrastructure construction. We will establish workers' cooperatives, we will renovate schools in the slums, and we will get those unemployed steelworkers back to their jobs and earn dignified wages."
"We want to turn Pittsburgh into a real showroom."
"A model to prove to the whole of America that progressive policies are not only theoretically feasible, but also financially viable, and politically winning."
Murphy finished speaking in one breath, his chest heaving violently.
"This is my plan, Daniel. I'm going to use these $500 million in bonds as the first step in my campaign, and I'm going to use the revitalization of Fourtsburgh as my campaign platform."
"I want to tell the voters of Pennsylvania that the kid in Philadelphia only talks about ideals, while I, John Murphy, am turning ideals into cement and steel."
Silence fell again on the other end of the phone.
After a long while, Sanders' voice rang out again.
"Running for senator?"
Daniel Sanders' voice came through the speakers.
"Issuing $500 million in junk bonds?"
"Use this money to influence the entire Pennsylvania election?"
Sanders paused for a moment.
"John, we've worked together on Capitol Hill for so long, I know you. You're a good man, an obedient congressman, you know how to play by the rules, how to please the whip, and how to keep your position without making mistakes."
"You've been keeping your head down in the House of Representatives, your mind is filled with gerrymander maps and fundraising dinner menus, you can't contain this crazy idea."
"This kind of plan that's going to rip the sky apart is definitely not something you came up with."
"If it were you, you should be crying to me about how to keep your Congressional seat, not talking to me about some damn $500 million."
Tell me the truth, John.
"This was that kid's idea, wasn't it?"
"It's Leo Wallace."
Murphy's hand holding the phone trembled slightly.
He subconsciously looked up at Leo across from him.
Leo's expression remained calm; he even nodded slightly, making a gesture of "acknowledgment."
At this time, any lies are unnecessary.
Murphy took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.
"—Yes, Senator."
Murphy's voice was somewhat hoarse.
"This is what he brought up when we were discussing solutions to the Pittsburgh financial crisis."
There was another brief silence on the other end of the phone.
Then, a soft laugh was heard.
That wasn't mockery, it was excitement.
"That's right."
Sanders said.
"That kid—he's interesting, even more interesting than I imagined."
Sanders' tone was unusually relaxed, even tinged with self-deprecation: "John, when I said he was incompetent, that he only knew how to stir up emotions but not how to govern, and even said he should be kicked out of office, you must have been secretly laughing at me, right?"
"This old man thought he had a pair of discerning eyes. But look what happened, he got a good lesson from a young man in his early thirties. That slap was quick and loud."
"He doesn't just want to build a showroom in Pittsburgh; he wants to turn the whole of Pennsylvania into his testing ground."
"Alright, since we've come this far, let's not hold back anymore."
"Give him the phone," Sanders ordered.
Just as Murphy was about to hand over the phone, Leo waved his hand.
He casually tore off a note and wrote a line on it: This is your war, you come and talk.
Murphy paused for a moment, then understood Leo's intention.
If he wants to run for senator, he must demonstrate to Sanders his ability to manage the plan, rather than being a mouthpiece.
Murphy took a deep breath and said into the microphone, "No, Daniel, I'm talking to you now. Because this concerns my election, it concerns our future in Pennsylvania."
A soft laugh came from the other end of the phone.
"Okay, John. So tell me, who would buy these junk bonds? Those fund managers on Wall Street? They'd just throw these bonds in the shredder after seeing the Pittsburgh financial statements."
"Explain your logic."
"How exactly will this $500 million be spent? And how will this so-called Senate election be conducted?"
"Don't tell me this is just to give you a way out, or to help that kid fill his financial hole."
"If you can't give me a politically sound reason, I'm not going to go crazy with you."
Murphy glanced at Leo.
Leo picked up a pen from the table, wrote down a few keywords on a piece of paper, and then held it up for Murphy to see.
Murphy looked closely and saw a few words: New Deal, Experiment, Legacy.
He instantly understood what Leo meant.
He had to package this crazy financial adventure as a grand political ideal.
Murphy took a deep breath, and his voice became firm.
"Senator, this is not just ordinary municipal debt."
"We don't intend to call it 'recovery bonds' or 'infrastructure bonds'; those names are too common and won't interest anyone."
"We gave it a new name."
Murphy said, enunciating each word clearly.
"The first rust belt policy experimental bond in the United States."
The breathing on the other end of the phone became noticeably heavier.
New Deal.
This is the holy grail for all progressive politicians, the highest ideal they pursue throughout their lives.
Murphy continued, "You've always wanted to promote your new policy ideas nationwide, but you've been hampered by Republican opposition and Wall Street indifference. They said it was wishful thinking, that it wasn't economically viable."
"Now, we have an opportunity to prove ourselves in Pittsburgh."
"We will use this money to repair the broken roads and bridges."
"We also want to use it to establish the first municipally funded workers' cooperative network in the United States, so that workers can truly own the means of production."
"We will renovate the energy-saving systems of thousands of old buildings and create thousands of blue-collar jobs."
"This is your idea, the first time to conduct a comprehensive practical test in the swaying area of the rust belt, where deep red and deep blue intertwine."
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"If you succeed, this will be the greatest legacy of your political career."
"If you don't do it, you'll just be shouting slogans at thin air on Capitol Hill forever."
These words struck Sanders precisely where it hurt.
For a man in his seventies, the allure of power may have diminished, but the allure of his place in history is irresistible.
"That sounds wonderful."
Sanders' voice became calmer.
"But you still haven't solved the most fundamental problem: where will the money come from?"
"Pittsburgh's credit rating is junk. Those guys on Wall Street only look at the rating, not the actual creditworthiness; they won't buy into it."
"If the bonds can't be issued, everything you've said is just worthless paper."
"This is where we need you."
Murphy's voice rose a few decibels.
"We don't need Wall Street investment banks to lead the investment."
"Wall Street doesn't respect us, that's fine, we don't respect them either."
"Senator, you are the leader of the progressive movement across America, and you have a powerful force behind you."
"We hope that you, as a leader, can appeal to progressive forces across the United States."
"The pension funds of major labor unions, those giants who hold hundreds of billions of dollars but don't know where to invest them."
"Green investment funds that are dedicated to environmental protection and climate change."
"Family foundations that focus on social responsibility and want to change the world through investment."
"You need to tell them that buying this bond is not a regular financial investment, but a political statement."
"This is a movement where capital votes."
"Use the money of the progressives to save the forgotten rust belt. Use the money of the workers to create jobs for the workers."
"If you can mobilize this force, even just one percent, the five hundred million dollar quota will be snapped up instantly."
"When the time comes, those people on Wall Street will see that there is profit to be made, and they will pounce on us like sharks smelling blood, begging us to sell to them."
"This is our logic of forcing change."
Murphy finished speaking in one breath, feeling his chest heaving violently.
This was the boldest and craziest thing he had ever said in his life.
He was originally just a politician who wanted to stay in the House of Representatives until retirement, but now he felt like he was holding a sword.
Sanders was doing calculations on the other end of the phone.
He was calculating the risks and the potential returns.
Using $500 million in debt to package a political ideal. Using financial instruments to carry out an ideological mobilization.
That was too risky.
But it's too tempting.
If successful, this would be textbook-level execution.
"John," Sanders' voice rang out again, tinged with a complex emotion, "you've definitely changed. Before, you'd only talk to me about how to get your share of money in the appropriations committee; now you're talking to me about how to get money at all."
"But there are still risks. If the project fails, if Pittsburgh defaults, it will be a huge scandal for the progressives."
"The risks always exist," Murphy immediately responded, "but the rewards are equally enormous."
He took a deep breath and began to throw out his last chips.
"Senator, Pittsburgh's success does not belong to Pittsburgh alone."
"It will be a lighthouse, illuminating the vast rusty wasteland in the heart of Pennsylvania."
"Think of the workers at Allie, Scranton, and Bethlehem, those people who were considered a sure thing by the Republicans for decades and completely forgotten by the Democratic establishment."
"What will they think when they see Pittsburgh workers receiving federally backed wages, living in renovated communities, and even owning their own cooperatives?"
"They will see hope."
"We're not dividing the pie within the party, Daniel; we're wresting those votes back from the Republicans."
"Once we do that, even the most stubborn old men on the Democratic National Committee won't be able to stop us with excuses like 'creating a civil war' or 'wasting resources.'"
"Because we are expanding the territory for the Party, we are winning back those positions they had long ago abandoned."
"At that time, we progressives will naturally be invincible."
There was silence again on the other end of the phone.
Sanders is clearly assessing the feasibility of this plan.
This is an extremely bold idea.
It bypasses the traditional financial evaluation system and directly constructs a financial closed loop based on ideology and political identity.
"All right."
Sanders finally spoke.
"You pass, that logic is interesting."
"But, John."
Sanders then shifted his focus back to the most practical exchange of political interests.
Why should I help you? Or rather, why should I take this risk for you?
"If the bonds default, if the project fails, my reputation will be ruined. Why should I gamble my entire life's worth for the sake of being the mayor of Pittsburgh?"
"It's not just for Leo."
Murphy threw out the final bait.
"It's also for your own sake."
"Senator, look at Pennsylvania now."
"That lieutenant governor from Philadelphia is a carefully groomed successor by the establishment. Although he's a Democrat, he's a Wall Street guy, a Silicon Valley guy at heart."
"If he's elected senator, will he listen to you? Will he support your bills?"
"He will only become another stumbling block to the progressive agenda, a lukewarm centrist in the Senate."
"But I'm different."
Murphy made a final promise.
"If this bond issuance is successful, if the Pittsburgh revitalization plan is launched."
"I, John Murphy, was the driving force behind this plan in Washington, and the one who brought the money back."
"I will have the absolute capability to challenge that lieutenant governor of Philadelphia."
"I will take this $500 million report card and sweep across the entire western Pennsylvania wilderness. I will bring those blue-collar whites who were fooled by the Republicans back to the Democratic Party."
Murphy lowered his voice.
"Daniel, you're in a tough spot right now. The establishment is ganging up on you, and they're trying to trip you up on the rules committee."
"You need allies. Not the kind of representatives who just abstain, but people who can actually stand by you in the highest legislature of this country."
"Wouldn't you like to have one more senatorial member in your senatorial office who truly listens to you, owes you a huge favor, and comes from a key swing state?"
"If I win, Pennsylvania is your backyard."
"If I win, you will no longer be fighting alone in the Samqi Temple."
"Furthermore, please think about things from a broader perspective."
Murphy lowered his voice.
"By then, you'll have your own people in Pennsylvania, and you can even influence the outcome of the presidential election at the most crucial moment."
"This deal is worth the gamble."
After saying this last sentence, Murphy shut his mouth.
He revealed all his cards.
He put himself, Leo, and Pittsov all on one side of the scale.
Now, it remains to be seen whether Sanders is willing to add that crucial weight to the other end.
The office was extremely quiet.
Leo sat in his chair, looking at Murphy, also waiting for Sanders' reply.
Roosevelt's voice echoed in his mind.
"This is the politics of a scoundrel, kid."
"It's not just about ideals, nor is it just about interests."
"It's about packaging ideals as interests, and then using those interests to drive those ideals."
"Sanders is an idealist, but he is also a realist. He knows that ideals without power are fragile."
"You gave him a key to greater power."
He couldn't refuse.
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For Sanders, this was certainly a deal he couldn't refuse.
Despite his immense prestige in the Senate, Sanders remained a solitary figure. He lacked staunch allies and companions to fight alongside him.
If we can win the seat in Pennsylvania, a key swing state, and turn that seat into a stronghold for progress.
Then his influence within the party will experience a qualitative leap.
The breathing on the other end of the phone became steady and deep.
About a minute passed.
Sanders' voice rang out again.
"So—can you give the phone to Leo now?"
Murphy covered the receiver and looked at Leo.
This time, Leo answered the phone.
"Hello, Mr. Sanders, this is Leo Wallace."
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