novelnext Chapter 50 The Elephant in the Room
Chapter 50 The Elephant in the Room
The very next morning, news of Leo's announcement of his candidacy made the front page of all Pittsburgh media outlets.
The Pittsburgh Chronicle used a relatively neutral headline: “Community hero challenges incumbent mayor, Pittsburgh election campaign kicks off early.”
Some right-wing conservative media outlets launched their first round of attacks against Leo.
They portrayed him as a dangerous socialist, an ambitious man poised to achieve nefarious ends in Pittsburgh.
The atmosphere was tense at Mayor Cartwright's campaign headquarters.
This office, located on the top floor of a luxury downtown office building, offers panoramic views of the entire Pittsburgh skyline.
But at this moment, no one was in the mood to appreciate the scenery outside the window.
Cartwright's campaign manager and his core staff are holding an emergency strategy meeting.
The meeting had only one theme: how to deal with Leo Wallace, this suddenly emerging challenger.
"We must launch a full-scale media attack on him immediately!" Cartwright's campaign manager, a man named Scott Reed, paced excitedly around the conference room.
"To portray him as a political upstart with no real governing experience other than being good at grandstanding!"
"We want to tell all middle-class voters that everything this kid has done is thanks to federal funding he swindled from his socialist friends in Washington!"
"We need to emphasize his radical and dangerous political ideas, and tell everyone that if he is elected, Pittsburgh will become the next Detroit!"
Mayor Cartwright sat in the head seat, smoking a cigar, and said nothing.
He seemed unconfident.
His encounters with Leo over the past few months, especially the arson attack that cost him both his wife and his money, had instilled in him a deep-seated fear of the young man.
“Scott, I understand all of that,” Cartwright said, “but you have to find me some real dirt that can really destroy him, not these weak ideological attacks.”
"We must bury him in this election, no matter the cost!"
The atmosphere was completely different in the construction site office on the other side of the city.
There is no oppression or anxiety here, only a high-spirited fighting spirit as if about to go to the battlefield.
The night after announcing his candidacy, Leo's team immediately went into war mode.
Roosevelt's voice echoed in his mind, giving him his final instructions before the war.
"Very good, son, we have fired the first shot, and fired it very well."
"But you must remember that from now on, we are facing a full-scale, systematic, and ruthless attack."
"A long mayoral election is like a twelve-round heavyweight championship fight. An early advantage means nothing. The key is who can stand until the last round without being knocked down by their opponent."
Under Roosevelt's guidance, Leo began to assign the first phase of the operation to his team.
Karen Miller immediately got into character.
Based on the reactions of the media and the public at yesterday's ceremony, as well as the latest online public opinion data, she quickly formulated the core strategy for the first phase of her campaign.
"Leo, our first-phase goal is clear," Karen said, pointing to the data charts on her laptop. "We must consolidate and expand our base advantage among white blue-collar workers."
"Then we must immediately begin a strategic penetration into our two weakest voter groups: middle-class families in the suburbs and minority communities in the city."
Ethan Hawke then distributed his lengthy, multi-page policy white paper to everyone.
"I have systematically packaged all our successful experiences at Site 3 into a policy document called 'Pittsburgh Regeneration: A White Paper on Urban Development from the People.'"
"This document will be central to all our campaign efforts going forward, and we will distribute it to all media outlets, community organizations, and opinion leaders in Pittsburgh."
"We want everyone to know that we not only have passion, but also a practical and comprehensive plan to manage this city."
The moment Leo announced his candidacy, Sarah's team launched a small donation channel on their campaign website called "One Dollar to Support Leo Wallace in Changing Pittsburgh".
Within the first hour of Leo's announcement of his candidacy, donations from Pittsburgh residents exceeded $50,000.
Frank then began to assemble his "Workers' Vanguard".
He planned to transform this team of hundreds of workers into the most effective ground-based campaigning force in all of Pittsburgh.
On this day, both campaign machines began operating at high speed simultaneously.
A fierce election campaign surrounding the future of Pittsburgh has officially begun.
……
The first week after the official announcement of the election.
At Leo's campaign headquarters, a full strategy meeting is underway.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was lively.
Karen stood in front of the projection screen, showing everyone the first set of internal poll data she had just received.
"Everyone, this is a very good start." Karen's voice carried a hint of excitement. "After Leo announced his candidacy, his approval rating soared to 30 percent, while Mayor Cartwright's approval rating dropped below 40 percent, leading us by less than 10 percentage points."
"This shows that our momentum is very strong, and we have every chance to win this election."
Ethan Hawke then distributed his policy white paper, which had expanded to over a hundred pages.
"Our policy team has completed the policy design in all areas," Ethan said. "Starting next week, we will release a policy interpretation video every day on 'Heart of Pittsburgh,' systematically showing citizens the complete blueprint for Rio's management of the city."
Frank and Sarah also reported on their progress in ground mobilization and media outreach.
The entire team was immersed in an optimistic mood.
But Leo shattered everyone's optimism.
He stood up, walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote a name heavily on it.
Douglas Morganfield.
"Gentlemen, we've just discussed all our own tactics, but we've overlooked the biggest elephant in this room."
Leo's expression turned serious.
"I know, as I told everyone before, Morganfield promised me that he would remain benevolent and neutral in this election."
"But we can't really put our hopes on him keeping this promise."
"Verbal promises are the most unreliable thing. As long as Cartwright promises him enough benefits, Morganfield will definitely switch sides back to Cartwright."
"After all, he has supported Cartwright for so many years."
Frank snorted.
"If you could believe that old fox's words, pigs could climb trees!"
Karen added, "Leo is right, this is a core issue we have to face."
"If Morganfield decides to fully support Cartwright at the last minute, all our current advantages will be lost."
"His media empire can launch a 24/7 barrage of negative reports against us; his money can assemble a ground campaign team for Cartwright that is several times larger than ours; his enormous influence in the Pittsburgh business community can make any of our fundraising efforts extremely difficult."
Leo looked at everyone in the conference room and asked Roosevelt.
"Mr. President, we already have so much support from the people, so why is it that just one Morganfield, a capitalist hiding behind the scenes, can make us feel so suffocated?"
"Is the will of tens of thousands of people really so fragile in the face of the weight of money? Can we really not rely solely on public opinion to fight against that massive capitalist monster?"
Leo wasn't really unaware; he was just complaining.
Roosevelt's voice echoed in his mind.
"My child, you ask me how powerful money is."
"Then let me take you to see a war, a war waged against me with money, lies and hatred, an attempt to strangle the new government."
Leo's consciousness was instantly pulled away, and he found himself suspended in the air above the United States in 1936, looking down at this vast and divided continent.
"That fall, my opponent, Kansas Governor Alf Langdon, was just a Republican, but behind him stood the wealth and power of the entire United States, the giants whose interests I had touched when I implemented my new policies."
Leo's perspective penetrated the material walls and entered a luxurious private club located on Park Avenue in New York.
Cigar smoke filled the air, and the light from the crystal chandelier illuminated some of the most illustrious surnames in American history.
Heir to the DuPont family fortune, partner at Morgan Bank, head of the Rockefeller Group, and founder of Ford Motor Company…
They sat around a huge round table with a large map of the United States on it.
They are using their hundreds of millions of dollars to weave a massive web for Roosevelt.
"That was a disproportionate war," Roosevelt's voice rang out.
"Ninety percent of the newspapers in the country, from the New York Herald Tribune on the East Coast to the Los Angeles Times on the West Coast, are all guns attacking me."
"Their editorials portrayed me as a devil attempting to establish a dictatorship in America, and their cartoons depicted me as a monster."
The roar of countless printing presses running simultaneously filled Leo's ears.
Thousands of tons of paper were transformed into an army armed with lies and fear, and transported to every town and village in the country.
"They bought out primetime GG on radio."
"Every night, as every ordinary American family gathers around the radio, they hear carefully crafted political attacks filled with alarmist rhetoric."
At that moment, Leo heard those sounds.
A man, in an authoritative tone, argued to his audience how the New Deal's social security program would destroy the American spirit of individualism and ultimately lead to the nation's bankruptcy.
One woman, speaking with concern, lamented how the new government's public works projects would waste taxpayers' hard-earned money and ultimately cause her husband to lose his job.
"Their campaign rallies were like grand carnivals, attracting unemployed people struggling with hunger with free roasted pig and unlimited beer."
"They set up a huge stage at the rally and invited the most famous Hollywood stars and sports stars of the time to endorse their candidates."
Leo witnessed that scene.
In Ohio, in Pennsylvania, in those swing states, the huge stadiums were packed with people.
People held free hot dogs in one hand and waved signs attacking Roosevelt in the other.
They may not really care about politics; they're just here to enjoy a rare feast and watch a free show.
"They used money to successfully create the false illusion that 'everyone was against Roosevelt.'" Roosevelt's voice became low.
"Their goal is to undermine the confidence and morale of my supporters. They want every ordinary person who supports the new policy to feel that they are alone and that they are on the wrong side of history."
"That was the most difficult period of my political career."
"Every day I receive letters from all over the country, from farmers and workers who once supported me, asking me: 'Mr. President, are we doing the right thing? Why does everyone say you are wrong?'"
"But in the end, I won."
"And they won by the largest margin in U.S. election history."
The final electoral vote map appeared before Leo's eyes.
Apart from Maine and Vermont, the entire map of the United States is covered in blue, which represents the Democratic Party.
"Do you know why, Leo?"
"Because money can create illusions, but it cannot change the pain of reality."
"Because the unprecedented Great Depression caused the American people so much pain. They lost their jobs, their farms, and their life savings."
"My new policy, though imperfect and opposed by all the rich, has indeed brought tangible relief funds, visible jobs, and hope for survival to those struggling in despair."
"The people used their votes to shatter the empire of lies built on money."
"But you must remember that it was a special war, and it took place during a special historical period."
"If it weren't for that huge crisis, if the people's suffering hadn't reached its peak, I might not have won that propaganda war dominated by money."
Leo detached himself from this turbulent historical memory.
The torrent of money can distort reality, create illusions, and drown out the voice of truth.
But ultimately, only the power rooted in the real suffering and hope of the people can break through all these false barriers.
Leo looked at the worried expressions on his team members' faces.
He knew very well that this most critical problem had to be addressed before any specific campaign strategy could be developed.
He made a decision.
"Alright, everyone," Leo said, "from now on, we must prepare for the worst."
"We assume that Douglas Morganfield will use all his resources to support Cartwright's re-election at all costs in the upcoming election."
"Under this premise, let's rethink how we should fight this battle."