Creating America: My campaign manager was Roosevelt

Chapter 188 The Overdue Bill

Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

This is the square mile with the highest power density in the entire United States.

Inside the Four Seasons Hotel's ballroom, the light from the crystal chandelier reflected off the champagne tower, casting a mesmerizing golden glow. John Murphy stood in the center of the crowd, wearing a custom-made tuxedo with a silk handkerchief folded in his breast pocket.

His face had that rosy glow that only victors deserve, a result of the combined effects of alcohol and adrenaline.

Just minutes earlier, the vice president had walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and praised him as "the backbone of the Democratic Party in the Midwest." At that moment, Murphy felt like he was floating.

He was like an invisible man on Capitol Hill; no one cared about his opinions, and no one remembered his name.

But tonight, he is the star.

The lobbyists from K Street swarmed around him like sharks smelling blood, business cards in hand and flattering words on their lips.

The party leaders raised their glasses to him, their eyes filled with attempts to win him over.

"Senator, your victory speech was absolutely brilliant," a lobbyist from an energy company approached, beaming. "We are very interested in the vision for Pennsylvania's energy future that you mentioned in your campaign platform."

Murphy laughed and clinked glasses with the other person.

"Of course, we need to protect the environment and create jobs."

Murphy felt he had mastered the art.

He beat Monroe, he beat Warren, and now he's a U.S. Senator, a member of a superclub with a hundred seats. He feels invincible.

The phone in my pocket vibrated at that moment.

Murphy frowned.

He didn't want to answer; he didn't want anything to interrupt this beautiful night.

But the tremors continued, even with a frantic, unsettling rhythm.

He glanced at the caller ID.

Leo Wallace.

The fervor in Murphy's eyes cooled slightly.

He knew he couldn't ignore the call.

"Excuse me, I have to go for a moment. I have an urgent call from my constituency."

Murphy smiled apologetically at the onlookers around him, then walked through the crowd and headed towards the restroom next to the banquet hall.

Push open the door and lock it with the bolt.

Murphy loosened his tie, looked at his radiant face in the mirror, and answered the video call.

"Leo! My friend!"

Murphy held his phone up high.

"You really should see this! The Vice President just shook my hand! He said the White House highly values ​​our victory in the Rust Belt! We've established a foothold in Washington! A complete foothold!"

Murphy's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

On the other side of the screen, there was only a stark white light.

Leo Wallace sat in his office at Pittsburgh City Hall.

The background is a map of Pennsylvania covered in red circles.

In front of Leo was a cup of black coffee that had gone cold, and a stack of financial statements held together by red clips.

His eyes were cold, a stark contrast to Murphy's radiant appearance.

It's like two different worlds.

"Wake up, John."

Leo's voice came through the speaker.

Murphy paused for a moment, his smile freezing on his lips.

"What?"

"I said, wake up."

Leo picked up a report from the table and waved it at the camera.

"Don't let the champagne and compliments cloud your judgment. Your seat wasn't given to you by the vice president, nor by those K Street vampires. We bought it."

"It was bought with those five hundred million dollars in bonds."

Murphy felt a wave of disappointment.

"Leo, tonight is a time to celebrate, let's not talk about these discouraging numbers. We won, that's the result, we can deal with the rest later..."

"There's no time to deal with it slowly."

Leo interrupted him.

Do you know what I'm holding in my hand?

Leo turned to the first page of the report.

"These are the internal settlement data from the Industrial Revitalization Alliance last month."

"Erie shipped 30,000 tons of steel to Pittsburgh. Scranton shipped 20,000 tons of cement to Johnstown."

"Goods are flowing, factories are operating, and workers are receiving their wages."

"It looks very prosperous, doesn't it?"

"But the prosperity we've created is built on stockpiles and internal bookkeeping."

"This is a closed-loop digital game."

Leo threw the report on the table.

"This game has a fatal flaw."

"That's the US dollar."

Leo stared intently at the camera, his gaze fixed on Murphy.

"Our liquidity is only enough to last for ninety days."

"Three months from now, if I don't see more dollars flowing into this system, if this closed loop can't engage in real currency exchange with external economies."

"Then, Yili's factories will go bankrupt because they can't afford the raw materials."

"The mayor of Scranton will come after me with that pile of scrap paper and make my life a living hell."

"Ron Smith will feel cheated, and he will lead those voters to turn against him."

"At that time, your base will tear you apart."

Leo's voice turned sinister.

The higher they praise you, the harder they will drop you.

In the bathroom, Murphy felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

The blissful intoxication I felt just moments ago vanished without a trace in that instant.

He looked at himself in the mirror.

That originally rosy face had turned deathly pale.

He suddenly realized that the expensive tailcoat he was wearing was actually a shroud woven from debt.

He thought he had entered the heart of power, but in reality he was only standing on the edge of a volcano.

"Then... what should we do?"

Murphy's voice trembled slightly, and he subconsciously loosened his bow tie, feeling short of breath.

"Weren't the bonds already issued? That five hundred million dollars..."

"That five hundred million dollars has already been spent!"

"Leo said coldly."

"They became workers' wages, they became the steel piled up in warehouses, they became your votes!"

"Now, we need new money to fill this hole."

"We need real money, we need dollars printed by the federal treasury."

Murphy wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"What do you need me to do?"

He finally found his place again.

Here, in the Washington restroom, he was still the partner who needed to follow Leo's orders.

"I need money."

Leo held up two fingers.

"It's not a small amount of money, like a few million; that kind of money can't save a life."

"I want two billion dollars."

"Federal special grants"

Murphy nearly dropped his phone into the sink.

"Two billion?! Leo, are you crazy? The federal budget has already been finalized. Where am I supposed to get two billion for you? I couldn't even rob the Federal Reserve!"

"You are a senator, John."

Leo's voice was quite calm.

"You can't rob the Federal Reserve, but you can rob Congress."

"Think about the current situation in the Senate."

"The Democratic and Republican seats are very close together, which means that every vote is crucial."

"You are the newly elected senator, the hero who defeated Warren and represents the hope for the Rust Belt's revival."

"Your vote is very valuable."

Leo began to teach Murphy how to do it.

"Next, the White House will definitely have some major bills to push forward, perhaps a new tax reform, or perhaps a new environmental bill."

"They need your vote."

"This is your bargaining chip."

"Don't be a good boy and listen to the whip; you need to learn how to trade."

"You need to tell the Senate Majority Leader, and tell the White House liaison."

"You want me to vote? Sure."

"Let's get this two billion dollar grant approved first."

"If you don't pay me, don't even think about getting me to raise my hand."

"But..." Murphy hesitated, "This would offend the entire party caucus, and Sanders wouldn't agree. It's too blatant." "Sanders will agree."

Leo said, "Because this money is for the New Deal, for proving that the Progressive approach is correct."

"As long as you can get this money, the Pittsburgh model can survive, and Sanders' model house can stand the test of time."

"I'll call him later, and he'll approve of my idea."

"As for offending people?"

Leo let out a soft chuckle from the other end of the screen.

"John, you're already in that pool full of crocodiles."

"In this place, the only way to earn respect is to make people fear you."

"If you're just a docile sheep, they'll eat you alive, leaving not even bones."

"But if you are a lion that is ready to bite at any time, they will feed you meat."

"Go do what you're supposed to do."

"Go exercise your right to propose motions, exercise your right to veto, exercise your greatest power as a senator—extortion." "You have ninety days."

"If I don't see the money in my Pittsburgh account ninety days later."

"Then we'll all perish together."

"beep"

The video call was cut off.

The phone screen went black.

Murphy stood in the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.

Inside the banquet hall outside, a band was playing lively jazz music, and the sounds of laughter could be faintly heard.

That was the clamor of the victors.

But Murphy knew it was just an illusion.

The real war has only just begun.

He straightened his bow tie, took a deep breath, and tried to recapture the feeling of high spirits he had just experienced.

But he found he couldn't do it.

His eyes turned gloomy, wary, and even more greedy.

He was a gambler burdened with enormous debt who had no choice but to risk his life.

Pushing open the bathroom door, I stepped back into that glamorous world of fame and fortune.

He looked at the important figures holding wine glasses.

In the past, he wanted to fit in with them.

Now, he wants to tear a piece of flesh off them.

Pittsburgh City Hall.

Leo put down his phone.

He walked to the window and looked out at the pitch-black night.

"Ninety days."

"Leo said in a low voice."

Two billion US dollars.

"Mr. President, this is a crazy number."

"It is indeed crazy," Roosevelt said, "but that's the game in Washington."

"You turned Murphy into a gun, and now you've pulled the trigger."

"The bullet has already left the barrel."

"Either hit the target and bring back the prey."

"Either blow up the barrel and kill us all."

"However, Leo."

Roosevelt then changed the subject.

"It's not enough for Murphy to just ask Washington for money."

"In these ninety days, you have to figure out a way to keep the Pittsburgh machine running."

"You have to find a place for all that steel piling up, and you have to keep those workers busy."

Leo replied, "Now that we've created a huge bubble, we can only blow it up even bigger, so big that even Washington won't dare let it burst."

Leo turned around and looked at the map on the wall.

His gaze shifted from Pittsburgh, traveling west along the Ohio River, crossing the state border, and settling on the even larger industrial behemoth: Ohio.

Cleveland.

Even further away in Detroit.

"Then expand the alliance."

Ambitious glints flashed in Leo's eyes.

"If Pennsylvania's appetite can't absorb this production capacity."

"Then we'll eat the entire rusty belt."

"I'm going to do something bigger, something that will make two billion dollars seem insignificant."

Stop.

Roosevelt's voice suddenly rang out.

"Leo, put away your unrealistic fantasies."

"I know you're feeling good right now, but don't forget, you're just the mayor of Pittsburgh, and your authority extends to Allegheny County." Roosevelt's tone became stern.

"Interstate collaboration? Do you know what that means?"

"That means you'll be dealing with the state governments of Ohio and Michigan, and you'll be dealing with the governors, state legislatures, unions, and chambers of commerce there."

"Every state has its own interests and its own protectionist barriers."

"You haven't even won over the Pennsylvania establishment yet, and you want to plant your flag on someone else's turf? You're courting death." Roosevelt's tone softened slightly.

"Eat your food one bite at a time, and walk your path one step at a time."

"Your alliance is fragile right now; it's built on self-interest and fear. Don't try to make it bear a weight beyond its capabilities before it's truly grown bones."

Leo's eyes dimmed for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

"You're right, Mr. President, I was too hasty."

"Then let's dig deep inside Pennsylvania."

Leo refocused his gaze on the state map, his finger tracing the scattered small cities.

"Erie, Scranton, Johnston... these aren't enough."

"I want to spread this net even wider."

"I want all of Pennsylvania's industrial cities to join, from Bethlehem in the east to Newcastle in the west." "I want this list of alliances to be long enough to suffocate the bureaucrats in Harrisburg."

"I want them to understand that to be our enemy is to be our enemy, the entire working class of Pennsylvania."