novelnext Chapter 48: 4 Groups
Chapter 48: 4 Groups
Karen stared at the photo for a moment, then immediately understood what Leo meant.
"Oh, I see," she said. "The candidate is also his campaign manager, an all-around athlete who loves taking on the challenge of triathlons."
"Leo, if I may be so bold, I've been in this industry for fifteen years and I've seen many candidates as confident as you. Without exception, they all exhausted themselves halfway through the election and ended up losing miserably."
She paused for a moment, then shrugged.
"However, this is your campaign, your decision. I am merely a senior advisor sent by John to provide professional advice and carry out orders."
"As long as you pay my salary on time, I will show you my utmost respect, even if you want that stray cat on the construction site outside to be your campaign manager."
She emphasized the word "respect" very much.
Ethan Hawke, standing to the side, did not show any emotion like Karen.
He simply gave Leo a deep look, as if trying to see through Leo's calm expression to the true source of his mysterious confidence.
As one of Senator Sanders' own men, his task was to provide support, not to question.
He stopped dwelling on who the campaign manager was and went straight to work, demonstrating his exceptional efficiency as a top Washington advisor.
“Okay, Leo,” Ethan spoke up, naturally taking over the conversation. “Since you are in charge of the final strategic decisions, Karen and I will help you to efficiently translate these strategies into tactical execution.”
"I suggest that we immediately establish four core working groups under this core team."
"You'll be in charge of the Polling and Data Analysis team, Karen. You need to immediately procure a professional polling software for us and establish contact with the best polling companies in Pennsylvania."
"We need to see the first detailed report comparing our support rates with Mayor Cartwright's across various voter groups within three days."
"I'm in charge of the Policy and White Paper Group, with Sarah assisting me."
"We need to produce a draft of a detailed policy white paper on the future development of Pittsburgh within two weeks. This white paper will become the core platform of our entire campaign."
"The Media and Rapid Response Team, Sarah, you will be in charge of this team. You need to expand your volunteer team immediately. We not only need to continue to operate the 'Heart of Pittsburgh' as our main base, but we also need to build a combat team that can monitor public opinion and respond quickly 24 hours a day on all social media platforms."
"Finally, and most importantly," Ethan looked at Frank, "Mr. Frank, your ground mobilization and union liaison group is the core of our entire campaign."
"You need to further specialize and train your volunteers; we need to build the most powerful door-knocking force in all of Pittsburgh."
"I suggest that our five-person core group hold two regular strategic meetings every Monday and Thursday evening to ensure that all our information and actions are fully synchronized."
Ethan's suggestion quickly brought the discussion back to the level of concrete work implementation.
A more clearly defined campaign core team was thus formally formed.
Karen initially had reservations about joining this makeshift team, but she had to admit that Ethan Hawke was indeed a top-notch professional.
The working framework he proposed is clear, efficient, and highly feasible.
After the meeting, Karen privately called Ethan over.
"Hey, Harvard graduate," Karen said in a low voice, "Do you really think our young candidate is any good? He doesn't even believe in the most basic division of labor. He thinks running for mayor is a one-man show where he can do everything himself."
Ethan looked at Leo, who was not far away, squatting in front of a huge map of the Pittsburgh district with Frank, and having a heated discussion about something.
“I don’t know if he’s really reliable, Karen,” Ethan replied, “but I know that Senator Daniel Sanders believes in him, and that’s enough.”
"And don't you think that someone who dares to break political norms is either an incurable madman or someone who can create miracles?"
I bet on the latter.
In Leo's mind, Roosevelt's voice rang out with a hint of laughter.
"Alright, child, the fox and the hounds are all here."
"Are you ready to seize supreme power in Pittsburgh?"
……
Three months later, in the O'Malley family's apartment in the Steelworkers' Third Community.
Michael O'Malley was sitting in the armchair he'd been sitting in for twenty years.
Three months ago, he would sit in this chair from morning till night every day, numbly watching the news and TV programs that had nothing to do with him.
At that time, the only sounds in the apartment were the noise from the television and his wife Sarah's tired sighs after she came home from get off work.
The windows always let in drafts; no matter how much tape he used to seal them, the winter wind always managed to find a way in.
Sarah had to put a plastic bucket underneath the kitchen sink and empty it every night because the drainpipe was constantly dripping.
His ten-year-old son, Kevin, is forced to stay in his room playing video games after school every day because Michael strictly forbids him from playing in the abandoned park outside, which is filled with trash and broken glass.
He had thought he would live in this apartment building until he died.
Change begins one morning.
A team of workers in blue overalls drove several small construction machines into the lifeless community.
Michael, like the other neighbors, simply watched curiously from his window.
He thought this was just another vanity project by the municipal government, at most they would repair a few potholes on the road, take a few photos and publish them in the newspaper and that would be the end of it.
He'd seen it far too many times.
But this time, it seems a little different.
The stubborn old man leading the group, named Frank, knocked on their doors one by one.
He's not here to ask for opinions; he's here to recruit workers.
"Michael O'Malley?" Frank looked at him. "I remember you. You used to be a good hand at Blast Furnace No. 3 in Homestead. Can you still lift a wrench?"
Michael looked at the former union leader, then at the workers outside cleaning up the trash, and nodded.
And so, he joined the team.
He became a member of the "Pittsburgh Regeneration Project".
He personally dismantled the old slide that could have scratched the children, dug up the community drainage pipe that had been blocked for decades, and installed brand new windows in the old apartment building where he had lived for half his life.
He works with his neighbors every day; they used to be his coworkers at the steel mill, and now they are his comrades-in-arms in building their home.
When Sarah got home from get off work, she found that the annoying plastic bucket under the kitchen sink was gone; the pipes had been repaired.
Kevin would sit by the window every day, watching the abandoned park change day by day.
The weeds have been cleared, new lawns have been laid, and a garden with a red slide and a blue basketball court is growing out of the ruins.
Today is the day of the community reopening ceremony.
The winter sun shone into the apartment through the brand-new windows.
Michael was wearing a blue work uniform with the "Pittsburgh Regeneration Project" logo printed on it, and he had a smile on his face that he himself did not realize.
Kevin excitedly grabbed his hand and urged him to hurry up and go out.
"Dad, hurry! Let's go to the park! I want to play on that new slide!"
Michael took his son's hand and walked out of the apartment building.
Outside, the road was smooth, and his old car was parked in a newly marked parking space.
The neighbors also came out of their homes, each with a long-lost smile on their face, greeting each other.
The air was no longer filled with rust and despair, but with a mixture of paint and hope.
Michael led Kevin into the brand-new community garden.
He watched his son laughing heartily on the slide he had installed himself.
He watched as his fellow workers, just like him, proudly told their families and reporters about everything they had accomplished with their own hands.
He felt like he had come back to life.