novelnext Chapter 39 Public Opinion Bomb
Chapter 39 Public Opinion Bomb
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office issued an official statement early the next morning.
The statement announced that, at the request of Senator Daniel Sanders and considering the potential involvement of federal funds in the case, the state attorney general's office will send an experienced assistant attorney general to lead a task force to Pittsburgh to independently investigate the fire at the Urban Renewal Commission construction site.
Pittsburgh Mayor Martin Cartwright learned of the news from his press secretary during his routine briefing that morning.
Upon hearing this, the color drained completely from his face.
He felt panic.
He never expected that Leo Wallace, a nobody in his eyes, would have the ability to reach directly into the state and invite the powerful Attorney General.
He immediately ended the meeting, returned to his office, closed the door, and dialed a number using an encrypted phone.
On the other end of the phone was a man with a rough voice.
"Feed?"
"It's me," Cartwright said in a low voice. "Things have changed. The state officials are coming to investigate. You must leave Pittsburgh immediately, and get as far away as possible! Don't contact me again until things calm down!"
He hung up the phone, feeling his back soaked in cold sweat.
Meanwhile, Rio's "Safety Production Education Week" activities are in full swing at the construction site.
With the entire event broadcast live by the media, it turned into a show.
The government officials sent by the mayor to cause trouble had to pretend to conduct various safety training sessions for the workers and perform detailed inspections of the construction site's facilities in front of the cameras.
Ultimately, under persistent questioning from reporters, they had no choice but to reluctantly admit that the various safety measures at the construction site were basically in compliance with regulations.
Leo's reputation rose rather than fell.
In the eyes of the citizens, he became a young leader who dared to take responsibility, face problems head-on, and turn bad things into good things.
The investigation team from the state demonstrated a high degree of professionalism and efficiency.
Completely unaffected by local Pittsburgh forces, they took direct control of all case files and re-examined all the on-site evidence.
Soon, they found the blurry figure of the arson suspect in the surveillance footage of a 24-hour private convenience store near the construction site.
The video shows that an hour before the fire, a man wearing a baseball cap entered the construction site carrying an oil drum.
The investigation team quickly identified the suspect by tracking the unlicensed old truck he was driving.
He was a notorious hoodlum in Pittsburgh's South Side with a long criminal record.
The most crucial discovery came from the investigation of this scoundrel's phone records.
Investigators discovered that he had several lengthy phone calls with a fixed number before and after the arson incident.
The registered owner of that number was none other than Mark Jennings, the deputy director of the mayor's office and Martin Cartwright's chief of staff.
The night before the state attorney general was to formally interview Jennings, Mayor Cartwright received advance notice through his informant within the state government.
He knew he had been pushed to the edge of a cliff.
So he made a quick decision to sacrifice Jennings to save himself.
The next morning, he held another emergency press conference.
This time, his expression was even more somber than before, and he even choked up several times while speaking.
"Citizens, I stand here today with a deep sense of sorrow and shame."
"Based on some information I have just received, my personal chief of staff, Mr. Mark Jennings, may have taken some extremely irrational and unacceptable personal actions due to his dissatisfaction with some of the radical practices of Mr. Wallace, the head of the city’s Urban Renewal Committee."
"I am shocked and heartbroken by this! I cannot tolerate such a person on my team!"
He solemnly announced this in front of all the media.
"I am immediately removing Mark Jennings from all positions within the city government! Furthermore, on behalf of the Pittsburgh city government, I will fully cooperate with the Attorney General's office in its follow-up investigation, and will show zero tolerance for anyone involved!"
Mark Jennings watched the press conference live on television from his office.
Only then did he realize that he had been completely abandoned by his boss.
That afternoon, investigators from the state prosecutor's office took Jennings away.
In the interrogation room, in order to save the mayor's job and to secure a better plea deal for himself, Jennings took all the blame upon himself.
He admitted that he had planned the arson alone, with the aim of targeting Leo Wallace.
The entire case has nothing to do with Mayor Cartwright.
Ultimately, the sensational construction site arson case was concluded that "the mayor's senior assistant planned and hired arsonists to attack political opponents."
Mayor Cartwright successfully "proved his innocence" and distanced himself from the case.
However, his political credibility and leadership ability suffered a devastating blow as a result.
Everyone knows what really happened behind the scenes.
What ability does a mayor who can't even control his own chief of staff have to manage the city?
The work stoppage order at the construction site has been lifted.
The Pittsburgh Renewal One project was restarted at a faster pace after this ordeal.
Without interference from the city hall, the project is progressing rapidly.
Leo devoted most of his time and energy to these specific construction projects.
He enjoyed the feeling of changing reality with his own hands.
But the peaceful days did not last long.
Congressman Murphy called again.
This time, his tone was full of urging and dissatisfaction.
"Leo, I'm glad you've resolved those problems at the construction site," Murphy's voice was cold on the phone. "But have you forgotten our agreement? My party primary election is less than two weeks away!"
"The latest polls are in, and my approval rating is still neck and neck with that damned Cortez kid, still within the margin of error!"
"And what about your 'Heart of Pittsburgh'? Aside from posting daily videos of the construction progress, there's been absolutely no real action! Frank's union brothers are campaigning for me in the streets every day, but the results are very limited!"
"Where has all the support you promised me gone?"
Leo reassured him over the phone.
"Mr. Congressman, please rest assured that we have been conducting ground mobilization and positive publicity all along."
"We are preparing an even more crucial weapon. I assure you, we will detonate it precisely in the final week before election day, delivering the decisive blow and securing your victory completely."
Murphy was clearly very dissatisfied with Leo's pretentious explanation.
"What key weapon? Leo, let me remind you again, political campaigns aren't like Hollywood spy movies. I don't need any secret weapons! What I need is real, tangible growth in approval ratings! Numbers I can see and that give me peace of mind!"
In his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Murphy angrily slammed down the phone.
His campaign manager, a middle-aged woman named Karen Miller, was standing in front of his desk.
"John, I shouldn't have agreed to you working with this Wallace," Karen complained. "He's too young, too naive, and too unpredictable. He doesn't tell us what he's doing at all, which is completely against the basic rules of political campaigning!"
Senator Murphy rubbed his tired temples.
He was also annoyed and uneasy about Leo's actions.
But he knew better than anyone that he was now completely inseparable from Leo's enormous influence among the Pittsburgh working class.
If he were to fall out with Leo now, he would almost certainly lose the primary.
"Give him a little more time, Karen," Murphy finally suppressed his anger. "Let's trust him one last time."
Leo felt immense pressure from his allies.
If he fails to help Murphy win this primary election decisively, the fragile political alliance he painstakingly built with Murphy and even Senator Sanders will immediately crumble.
He will once again become the lone wolf who fought alone in Pittsburgh.
He spoke softly to the empty office.
"Mr. President, I hope your dark political theories will actually work this time."
Roosevelt's voice echoed in his mind, full of confidence.
"Don't worry, child. In the world of politics, positive achievements and lofty ideals can sometimes make people hesitate."
"But scandals are always the best catalyst for them to make their final choice."
……
The week before the primary election.
Alex Cortez's campaign team held his final large voter meeting before the election in the auditorium of the University of Pittsburgh's student activity center.
The auditorium was packed, and the atmosphere was lively.
The audience was filled with young students who supported him, university professors, and progressive voters drawn to his radical political slogans.
Cortez, dressed in a simple denim shirt, stood in the center of the stage and delivered his passionate and inspiring speech.
He attacked corruption in Washington, greed on Wall Street, and all the injustices that oppress ordinary people.
He portrayed himself as a spokesperson who would always stand with the people.
"They said my ideas were too radical, that my proposed universal healthcare and free college tuition were impossible dreams."
"But I want to tell them that we are not asking for any favors, but for the rights we, as citizens of this country, are entitled to!"
Every pause he made drew thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.
In the back row of the crowd, a retired steelworker wearing an old jacket and a baseball cap sat quietly.
His name was George, and he was Frank's old buddy from the union for decades.
He was clutching a small piece of paper in his hand, on which was the question Leo had prepared for him.
After the speech, a Q&A session began.
One by one, the young students stood up and asked Cortez a variety of questions about climate change, student loans, and racial equality.
Cortez handled these issues with ease.
His answers always drew waves of approval from the audience.
Finally, as the Q&A session was about to end, the host handed the microphone to George, who was sitting in the back row.
George stood up. He looked a little nervous, but his honest and kind appearance made him seem like an ordinary blue-collar worker.
Unlike others, he didn't raise grand political questions; he simply spoke of his confusion in a sincere tone.
"Hello Mr. Cortez, my name is George, and I worked at Jones Laughlin Steel Company my whole life until it went out of business."
"Many people in our community strongly support you because we feel that you are the only candidate who truly cares about us old workers who have been left behind by the times."
"However," he changed the subject, "I recently came across some very complicated economic theories online that say that workers like us in traditional industries are a drag and a burden on the future development of a city."
"They said that for the long-term development of Pittsburgh, our unemployment is a necessary sacrifice, a historical pain."
George looked up at Cortez on the stage with his questioning eyes.
"I'd like to ask you, do you agree with this statement?"
This question silenced the entire auditorium.
Everyone looked at Cortez, waiting for his answer.
Cortez paused for a moment.
He subconsciously felt that something was wrong.
The vocabulary used in this question, such as "necessary sacrifices" and "long-term development," is too formal and doesn't sound like the language a retired steelworker would use.
His gaze swept over the elderly man in the audience who had asked the question. The man looked like a typical blue-collar worker, honest and simple.
This only exacerbated his doubts.
Is this a trap? Or were they sent by Murphy's side?
He searched his memory frantically, but he couldn't recall ever making similar remarks in any public setting, nor could he remember the long-forgotten paper he wrote in college.
But as a well-trained politician, he knew that in such a public setting, facing a worker who seemed so sincere, any hesitation or evasion would be interpreted as a guilty conscience.
Regardless of any conspiracy behind it, he must give the most perfect answer that best fits his public image.
He didn't think too much about it, only that the old worker might be confused by the rhetoric of some conservatives.
This is a golden opportunity for him to demonstrate his populist stance and consolidate his working-class voter base.
He immediately adopted his most prolific and impassioned demeanor.
"Sir, I'm very grateful that you raised this question!" Cortez's voice was filled with anger. "My answer to what you've heard is that I absolutely, one hundred percent disagree!"
"Anyone who says such a thing is standing against the people and is a complete elitist!"
"In my dictionary, there is no such thing as a necessary sacrifice! Every worker, no matter what kind of work they do, is the most valuable asset of our city! They are not something that can be sacrificed at will!"
"My goal is to reclaim the dignity and future that belongs to workers like you! We don't need sacrifices, we need justice!"
His answer was perfect, immediately winning thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.
George, sitting in the audience, nodded repeatedly and gave Cortez a thumbs up.
Everything seemed perfect.
Cortez felt a sense of pride in his perfect performance.
He was completely unaware that he had stepped into a trap that Leo and Roosevelt had carefully dug for him.
After the meeting, Leo's team immediately obtained the complete video recording of the event.
In her office at the community center, Sarah watched Cortes's righteous denial in the video and felt a little awkward, though she couldn't quite explain why.
Leo, however, was very excited. He turned around and gave the order for a general offensive to his team.
"Pack up a news archive containing a scanned copy of the original paper, Cortez's author photo at Amherst College, and the video we just obtained showing him blatantly lying."
"Now, immediately send it to all the media outlets in Pittsburgh, newspapers, television stations, and those right-wing news blogs."
"The filename for the data package will be—"
"Alex Cortez: Who Are You?"
……
The next morning, a media bombshell was detonated in Pittsburgh's political arena.
The news package produced by the team was sent to the email addresses of all media professionals in Pittsburgh.
Neither progressive news blogs on the left nor conservative radio stations on the right could resist such a perfect news story full of dramatic conflict.
A radical political star who portrayed himself as the "savior of the working class" has been exposed for making callous remarks while studying at an elite university, such as "the elimination of the working class is a historical inevitability."
Even more fatally, just the night before, he had openly lied in front of hundreds of voters, righteously denying everything.
The Pittsburgh Chronicle's website homepage featured the headline of this report in bold black font.
Alex Cortez's Two Faces: Elite Scholar or Public Servant?
The report juxtaposed his original thesis from his time at Kolkat University with a video of his impassioned denial at a meeting the previous night.
This stark contrast creates an unparalleled ironic effect.
The chain reaction began to spread with unstoppable momentum.
Alex Cortez's campaign team has descended into devastating chaos.
They initially tried to conduct crisis public relations.
His campaign manager issued an emergency statement saying that the paper was merely an "immature academic exploration" by Mr. Cortez during his university years and did not represent his current political stance.
But this weak and feeble explanation seemed utterly ridiculous in the face of the video evidence that it was "blatantly lying".
His supporters, especially idealistic young people attracted by his "purity" and "sincerity," felt deceived and betrayed.
On social media, the popular hashtags that once supported him have now become a cacophony of merciless mockery.
His campaign donation page received thousands of messages overnight requesting refunds.
His approval rating began to plummet at an alarming rate.
Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh's working-class community, Frank Kowalski personally took a copy of the paper and gave a series of lectures at the activity centers of various labor unions.
He characterized Cortes directly as "a Wall Street conman who despises us workers to the core."
The anger of the steelworkers, who were already suspicious of Cortez's elitist ways, was completely ignited.
Inside Senator Murphy's campaign headquarters, the atmosphere was unusually strange.
The latest poll data has just been printed out and placed on campaign manager Karen Miller's desk.
Data shows that Senator Murphy's approval rating surged by 15 percentage points overnight.
His opponent, Alex Cortes, saw his approval rating plummet by twenty percentage points.
With this shift in momentum, Murphy has now gained a lead of nearly thirty percentage points over Cortez.
This party primary, which had been so close, lost all suspense overnight.
But no one in the office was happy.
Everyone remained silent, staring at the miraculous poll report.
Karen Miller's face turned pale.
She handed the report to Murphy.
"John..." Her voice trembled slightly, "This was Wallace's doing."
"This method..."
"He didn't even notify us beforehand; he detonated the bomb without any warning to any of us."
Senator Murphy watched on the television screen as Alex Cortes, surrounded by countless reporters, looked flustered and disheveled.
A chill ran through him.
He was naturally pleased with his impending victory.
But an even stronger emotion is fear.
It was a fear of the political maneuvering ability that Leo Wallace displayed, which he could neither understand nor control.
He realized that he had summoned a political beast that was impossible to tame and full of aggression.
Congressman Murphy picked up the phone himself and dialed Leo's number.
After the call was connected, he remained silent for a long time, unsure of what to say.
Finally, he uttered a sentence in an extremely complicated tone.
"Leo...we won."
"But I must admit, I'm a little afraid of you."
Leo was in the prefabricated office at the construction site, discussing the next phase of construction drawings with the engineers.
He answered calmly.
"Mr. Congressman, you don't need to be afraid of me."
"You just need to remember that we are allies."
"And I will never let my allies down."
Hang up the phone.
Roosevelt's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with approval.
"Very good, child."
"The essence of politics, besides the control of resources, has another important aspect: creating awe."
"Now, they are beginning to respect you."
"And reverence, in many cases, is far more valuable than mere liking."