novelnext Chapter 172 Setting up a Tent
Chapter 172 Setting up a Tent
Chapter 172 Setting Up a Tent (4600/50000)
Pittsburgh City Hall, Mayor's Office.
Smith and Byers had just left when Leo returned to his desk, turned on his computer, and started a remote conference call.
This was a scheduled internal communication meeting, and he was already ten minutes late.
The screen lights up and splits into two images.
On the left is Daniel Sanders' serious face, with his Senate office in the background, piled high with bills that almost bury him.
On the right is John Murphy, sitting on a speeding campaign bus, with the Pennsylvania countryside rushing past the window.
"Leo," Sanders spoke first, his voice hoarse, "I heard you've made a big move in Pittsburgh. That so-called Industrial Regeneration Alliance, now everyone in Washington is saying you're planning to secede from Pennsylvania."
“Not independence, Senator,” Leo replied calmly. “It’s expansion.”
"I want to show you something. Or rather, give the Democratic Party a big gift."
"Ron Smith, Mayor of Erie. Joe Byers, Mayor of Scranton."
Leo gave two names.
"Just ten minutes ago, they reached a consensus with me."
Leo paused for a moment, then said, "They're preparing to publicly announce that they're leaving the Republican Party and joining the Democratic Party."
"What?!"
Murphy, sitting on the campaign bus, suddenly sat up straight and almost hit the roof.
His eyes were wide open like saucers, his face filled with disbelief.
Sanders, on the other side of the screen, also took off his glasses, and his half-closed eyes were now fully open.
"Are you kidding me, Leo?" Sanders asked. "Ron Smith? That old codger who's been calling us liberal wimps for twenty years on the shores of Lake Erie? He's going to join the Democrats?"
“He had no choice,” Leo said. “Warren cut off his funding and cornered him. I gave him a way out, on the condition that he get a change of clothes.”
Leo looked at the two big shots on the screen.
"This is just the first batch. Once this door is opened, once Erie's factory is smoking again, and once the workers in Scranton have received their wages, the remaining mayors who are still watching, such as the ones in Johnston and Altuna, will follow suit."
"We're going to tear a huge gash in Warren's backyard, in the Pennsylvania Rust Belt that's been ruled by Republicans for decades."
"We want to dye this red ocean blue."
This should have been fantastic news.
For any political party, the collective defection of the incumbent mayors from the opposing camp is a major victory worth celebrating with champagne.
But Sanders didn't laugh.
Instead of laughing, his brows furrowed even more, and a deep worry appeared on his face.
"Leo, you're too young. You only see the votes, not the trouble."
"Look at what kind of people these are."
"Ron Smith, a staunch anti-abortion supporter and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, once said in a public speech that climate change is a hoax fabricated by the left."
"Joe Byers, though a bit moderate, opposes any form of carbon tax, supports unlimited shale gas extraction, and has a hardline stance on immigration policy."
Sanders' voice turned stern.
"These people are typical conservatives; their values are diametrically opposed to the core platform of our Democratic Party—environmental protection, equality, and..."
Gun control—completely contrary to the original intent.
"Let them join the Party?"
Sanders gave a cold laugh.
"The Democratic National Committee will go crazy. Those environmental organizations, women's rights organizations, and minority groups will block the doors of the Democratic National Committee headquarters tomorrow."
"They will accuse us of selling our souls for votes, accuse us of letting the Trojan horse into the city."
"This will cause a huge split within the party."
"Leo, you're making me look bad."
Sanders' concerns are not unfounded.
Modern American politics is highly polarized; political parties are not merely collections of interests, but also bastions of values.
The purity censorship within the party is intensifying, and accepting such a group of heretics is tantamount to playing with fire.
Leo was about to refute, trying to persuade Sanders with the logic of "survival first".
"etc."
Murphy, who was on the campaign bus, suddenly spoke up.
He interrupted Leo, and he also interrupted Sanders.
"senator."
Murphy looked at the camera, his tone more forceful than ever before.
"We need these people's votes."
"Whether they support or oppose abortion, whether they like shooting or not."
"We need them."
Murphy pulled out a map of the Pennsylvania election situation.
"I've seen the latest data. In Philadelphia, my support has peaked. Although Monroe lost the primary, the elites he left behind are still watching; they don't trust me."
"In rural areas, Warren's base remains solid."
"These industrial cities—Erie, Scranton, Johnstown—are home to over a million blue-collar voters."
.
"This is the key to victory or defeat."
"Without the endorsement of these mayors, without their use of local administrative resources and union networks to help me campaign, I would not have won Warren in the state election."
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Murphy's voice rose a few decibels.
"To maintain a semblance of purity, and to avoid upsetting the spokespeople for those environmental organizations, and to lose control of the Senate."
"Senator, that is the biggest crime."
Sanders was stunned.
He looked at Murphy on the screen as if he were seeing this little brother who had followed him for many years for the first time.
Murphy continued, speaking rapidly.
"I understand the concerns of the Democratic National Committee, and I also understand your difficulties."
"So we don't need to turn them into those Democrats."
"We don't need them to support environmental issues, nor do we need them to march against guns."
"We can give them a new definition."
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Murphy held up one finger.
"Blue-collar core group".
"This is a special caucus formed within the Pennsylvania Democratic Party."
"We reached an agreement with them: on economic issues, such as infrastructure development, job security, and trade protection, they must obey the whip's command and stand with us."
"But on cultural issues, on those sensitive social values."
Murphy made a gesture.
"We allow them to vote according to their conscience."
"We allow them to continue opposing gun control in Erie, and we allow them to continue supporting shale gas extraction in Scranton."
"We publicly stated that this was to respect local diversity and to unite all forces that could be united to fight against Wall Street's exploitation."
"This is the big tent strategy."
"We need to make the tent big enough to fit both university professors from Philadelphia and steelworkers from Erie."
Murphy stared at the screen.
"Senator, you always say you want to mobilize the working class."
"Now, the real working class is right at the door."
"They may be rude, conservative, and not drink oat milk, but they are workers."
"If you shut them out, what kind of working-class party are we?"
The carriage jolted, but Murphy remained seated steadily.
Leo looked at Murphy, a smile playing on his lips.
"Well done."
Roosevelt's voice echoed in Leo's mind.
"Leo, this is the taste of power."
"It can change a person's bone marrow."
"A few months ago, John Murphy was a mediocre politician who trembled with fear of losing the primaries. He was used to taking orders and going with the flow in the back row of Washington."
"But look at him now."
"He dared to look Daniel Sanders in the eye, dared to present his political framework to a faction leader, and even dared to force his superiors to compromise by redefining the rules."
What changed him?
"Is it the five hundred million dollars in bonds? Is it the port under construction? Or is it the workers cheering for him in the audience?"
"Both, and neither."
"The real change was that he realized he was holding the hilt of a knife."
"When a person discovers that he has the power to decide the life and death of others, even their political life, his spine will naturally straighten."
"Power gave him confidence and wisdom. The speed at which he could instantly construct a political compromise like the blue-collar core group is something that the nice guy Murphy could never have."
"This is a tactic only Senator Murphy would employ."
On the other end of the screen, Sanders fell silent.
He sat in his Washington office, his eyes slightly narrowed, scrutinizing Murphy through the camera lens.
He appears to be reassessing Murphy's value.
The silence lasted for more than ten seconds before Sanders finally spoke.
He didn't agree immediately, but instead frowned and asked a question.
"John."
Sanders' voice was deep, with a hint of inquiry.
Answer me a question.
"This so-called blue-collar caucus plan, and the specific operational procedures for accepting this group of Republican mayors."
"Did you discuss this with Leo beforehand?"
"Is this a script you two wrote a long time ago, specifically to force me to sign it at this time?"
This is a question that strikes at the heart.
If this was premeditated, it shows that Murphy and Leo are cunning and may even be plotting against him.
But if it's improvisation, then the meaning is completely different.
Murphy paused for a moment.
He clearly didn't expect Sanders to ask that.
"No, Senator."
Murphy shook his head, a calm expression on his face.
"I swear, no."
"Before this, I didn't even know that Leo could handle these mayors. I always thought we were still stuck in a dead end."
Leo picked up the conversation on the other end of the phone, confirming Murphy's statement.
"Senator, John is telling the truth."
Leo glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Ron Smith and the others agreed to leave the Republican Party and join us, which happened ten minutes ago."
"It's right here in this office."
"Congressman Murphy only learned of this news the moment he heard my report."
"In other words—"
Leo pointed to Murphy on the screen.
"Regarding how to place these people, how to establish a blue-collar caucus to circumvent ideological censorship within the party, and how to use this opportunity to influence the election situation across the state."
"All of these strategic ideas were come up on the spot during this video call over the past ten minutes."
Upon hearing this, Sanders' pupils contracted slightly.
The way he looked at Murphy completely changed.
ten minutes.
In just ten minutes.
Faced with a sudden and enormous change that could shatter the existing order within the party, Murphy did not call back to Washington for instructions as he had done before.
He not only digested the information instantly, but also accurately seized the political opportunity within it, and in a very short time, constructed a complete political plan that was logically consistent and balanced in terms of interests.
This keen political sense, this ability to make decisions in the blink of an eye.
This is a quality that an ordinary member of the House of Representatives cannot possess.
This is the quality of a leader.
Sanders tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a series of rhythmic sounds.
He was calculating.
The internal purge launched by the Democratic establishment some time ago was thwarted by their joint efforts, but the progressives' power in Congress still suffered a heavy blow.
Several promising young candidates have been purged, and seats in several swing districts are now in jeopardy.
As a faction leader, Sanders is currently lacking in fresh blood, and even more so in capable leaders who can stand alone and fight tough battles on key battlefields.
In retrospect, he underestimated Murphy.
If Murphy can really use his own abilities to recruit these Republican mayors and get that "blue-collar caucus" up and running.
So the Progressives now had a real force in Pennsylvania, and even throughout the Rust Belt.
This would greatly increase Murphy's chances of defeating Warren in the state election.
More importantly, this will greatly enhance the progressives' voice within the party.
While the establishment was still basking in the glory of the votes from the elite in big cities, the progressives had already reached into the Republican Party's most entrenched blue-collar heartland.
This is a huge political asset.
Sanders had no reason to refuse.
In fact, he has to support it.
Because he needs Murphy to win, more than ever.
"it is good."
Sanders finally stopped banging.
"John, you've given me a surprise."
"You could even say it was shock."
"But I like the scare."
Sanders leaned back in his chair.
"We'll do as you say."
"You guys go and take care of those mayors."
"I'll take care of those bureaucrats at the Democratic National Committee."
"I will tell them that this is the price they have to pay to win a majority in the Senate. I will shut them up and make them accept this big tent theory."
"As for those environmental organizations and radical groups—"
Sanders waved.
"I will talk to them in person."
"But, John."
Sanders stared at Murphy on the screen, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp.
"You must win this election."
"You've made such a big show of things, recruited so many people, and even changed the party's rules."
"If you lose to Warren in the end."
"Then we'll all become a laughing stock."
Murphy met Sanders' gaze without flinching.
"Don't worry, Senator."
"I will not lose."
"Because I know what the price of losing is."
The video call has ended.
The screen went black.
Murphy let out a long sigh and slumped into a seat on the campaign bus.
He felt that his back was completely soaked.
But he won.
He won over Sanders, securing maximum discretion for himself.
Leo stared at the blacked-out screen and let out a long sigh.
The biggest political obstacle has been removed.
With the "blue-collar core group" as a shield, Smith and Byers' defection became legitimate.
They are no longer traitors; they are "returning to tradition Democrats."
"Mr. President."
"I thought to myself."
"It seems we've found ourselves a very good senator."
"Yes."
Roosevelt's voice was tinged with laughter.
"In this industry, growth comes at a price. Usually, it's a matter of conscience, or fear."
"Murphy has cast aside fear and picked up ambition."
"Now, he is a qualified wolf."
Leo stood up and walked to the window.
Outside the window, construction in Pittsburgh continues.
Further afield, in Erie, in Scranton, a political tsunami was brewing that would sweep across the entire state.
"We've finally set up that big tent."
Roosevelt concluded, "This is the essence of American politics, Leo."
"It's never a solid color."
"It is multicolored, chaotic, and a mixture of various interests and values."
"But it is precisely this blend that gives it power."
"Right now, you hold the strongest hand."
"Go and smash Warren's old face to pieces."
Leo looked into the distance.
"Yes."
"soon."
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