Creating America: My campaign manager was Roosevelt

Chapter 58 Loyalty

"You stand in the cold wind of Pittsburgh, wearing an ill-fitting suit you bought from a thrift store, with a student loan bill of $130,000 in your pocket."

"You have no estate, no trust fund, no father who is a railroad director, no classmates in Washington, and no relatives in New York."

"Your so-called independence is as light as a speck of dust on the scales of power. With just a breath from Cartwright or Morganfield, you would vanish from this world without a trace."

"In this cruel game, capital is the only ticket to entry. I bring my own capital, so I can be a player, while you have nothing."

"When a poor boy wants to change the world, his only way out is to sell himself to a willing buyer and use the buyer's capital to try to turn his life around."

"You want to change this country? You want to overthrow oligarchs like Morganfield? You want to fight for real rights for your people?"

"You can't even leave Pittsburgh by yourself! You can't even beat Cartwright's finger!"

"You need an army, you need a powerful backer, you need a massive system to support you."

"And Sanders is the only one who can accept us and understand us."

Roosevelt's voice became extremely serious.

"Switch to him now not to submit to him personally, but to use his influence to achieve your goals."

"Only when you become a valuable piece will you be qualified to become the player in the game in the future."

"Make your choice, Leo."

"Are you going to cling to your pathetic independence and die in the Pittsburgh winds?"

"Or should you lower your head, take the sword he offers, and fight for a greater goal?"

Leo stood in the cold wind.

He thought of Frank, Sarah, Margaret... and the workers on the construction site who worked tirelessly to make even the smallest changes every day.

He has no right to sacrifice all of this for his so-called independence.

He took a deep breath.

The cold air filled his lungs, instantly making his mind incredibly clear.

He put the phone back to his ear.

"Senator."

Leo's voice was now filled with unwavering determination.

"I understand your concerns."

"But I only have one thing to say to you today."

Leo paused, letting the weight of his words linger in the air.

"If one day in the future a storm hits Washington, and all of Pennsylvania can only hold up one umbrella..."

"That umbrella will be in my hands."

"And it will support you above your head."

The breathing on the other end of the phone finally calmed down.

Sanders did not answer immediately.

The silence lasted for a few seconds before he spoke: "Remember what you said today, Leo."

"I don't believe in oaths, young man. In this circle, oaths are cheaper than toilet paper."

"I can't guarantee you'll never betray me... After all, in Washington, betrayal is as common as breathing."

Sanders' voice suddenly lowered, carrying a chilling pressure.

"However, I must remind you."

"If you use my ladder to climb up, and then try to kick it over..."

"You'll find that falling from that height is ten thousand times more devastating than you imagine."

"In our progressive camp, we have always treated traitors more cruelly than enemies."

"Because the enemy only wants to defeat us, while the traitor wants to undermine our faith from within."

Leo felt not fear upon hearing these words, but rather a sense of reassurance.

This is real politics.

There was no veil of tenderness, only naked exchange.

"I understand, Mr. Senator," Leo replied.

"very good."

Sanders resumed his usual tone.

"Marcus will speak to you later."

Marcus's voice finally rang out again, this time with less arrogance.

"Mr. Wallace, welcome to the team."

"Regarding the VAN system, we cannot force local committees to immediately lift the ban, because it is a gray area of ​​local autonomy, and forceful intervention would trigger a full-scale civil war within the party."

"However, Senator Sanders has already authorized it."

"We have decided to grant you full access to the highest level of Pennsylvania access to the 'Shadow Data System'."

"This is a completely independent database that we built bit by bit with the help of millions of volunteers during the last two presidential elections."

"Although it may not be as detailed as the official VAN system in terms of local community aspects."

"However, it contains detailed information about all those radical voters, young students, and independent voters who have ever supported us."

"We will open the port for you immediately."

"Have your technicians check the email in five minutes."

The phone hangs up.

Leo walked into the prefab house and nodded to the dozen or so pairs of expectant eyes that were fixed on him.

A suppressed cheer erupted in the conference room.

Sarah excitedly hugged the computer next to her.

Frank slapped Leo hard on the shoulder, almost making Leo fall to the ground.

"Well done, kid!" Frank laughed. "You actually managed to snatch something from those misers in Washington!"

Five minutes later, Sarah received an encrypted email in her inbox.

Following the instructions in the email, she downloaded a dedicated client and entered the long key.

The screen flickered.

A brand new interface appeared before everyone.

On the screen, countless data points, like sparks, illuminated the map of Pittsburgh.

Those were tens of thousands of young voters hidden in every corner of the city, yearning for change and revolution.

That was a power that Cartwright could neither see nor touch.

"This is ours now." Ethan looked at the screen, adjusted his glasses, and said, "With this, plus the list of blue-collar workers Frank has, our data puzzle is finally a little more complete."

Leo stared at the flickering dots on the screen.

He was unable to calm down for a long time.

"Welcome to the real arena, child."

Roosevelt's voice echoed softly in his mind, tinged with a hint of relief.

"From today onwards, you are officially labeled."

"This is dangerous; it means you will become a thorn in the side of all anti-progressive forces."

"But it's also very safe."

"Because from now on, anyone who tries to touch you is touching the entire Sanders camp."

Leo calmed his excitement and threw himself into his work.

A new war is about to begin.