Forging America: My Campaign Manager is Roosevelt-Chapter 75 - 57: Questioning

"Marcus, we have a problem," Ethan said bluntly. "Leo’s team has been cut off from the VAN System. We need support."

The man on the other end of the line was Marcus Reynolds.

He was Senator Sanders’s senior political advisor. His position in Washington was equivalent to Karen at Murphy’s side, but his political instincts were more ruthless and his methods far tougher.

Ethan briefly explained the situation to Marcus and made his request.

"We need access to the ’Shadow Data System’ for Pennsylvania."

The other end of the line fell silent.

The silence lasted for a full ten seconds.

Leo could sense it. The man on the other end was weighing his options, running the calculations.

Finally, Marcus spoke.

His tone was unfriendly, carrying a distinctly accusatory edge.

"Ethan, let’s put the access issue aside for a moment."

"I have a few questions, and I want to ask Mr. Wallace directly."

Leo stepped forward and spoke into the phone, "This is Leo Wallace."

"Mr. Wallace." Marcus’s voice was cold. "We’ve been hearing some rumors in Washington."

"Word is you’ve struck a secret deal with Douglas Morganfield. Is it about that so-called port expansion plan you mentioned in your campaign promises?"

Leo’s heart sank.

The news had traveled faster than he’d imagined.

"Yes," Leo didn’t deny it. "I did meet with him, and we reached an understanding."

"An understanding?" Marcus scoffed. "In our book, that’s called surrender."

"Morganfield is Pittsburgh’s biggest oligarch. He’s an enemy of the working class and the very man we Progressives have sworn to bring down."

"And yet you, a candidate flying the Progressive flag, run off to shake hands with the enemy at a critical juncture in the campaign, even making him promises."

"This has made many of our core members very unhappy."

Marcus’s tone grew stern.

"Mr. Wallace, why should we deploy our most valuable strategic assets to save a centrist who might defect at any moment?"

"What guarantee do we have that you won’t become the next Carter Wright once you’re elected?"

It was a devastating accusation.

For some Progressives, ideological purity is often more important than victory.

They can accept failure, but they absolutely cannot accept betrayal.

Leo took a deep breath.

But before he could speak, Roosevelt’s voice echoed in his mind.

’Purity?’ Roosevelt scoffed. ’That’s the kind of bullshit only a bunch of bookworms hiding in their Ivory Tower would care about.’

’Tell him, Leo.’

’Politics is never a moral experiment conducted in a sterile lab.’

’To save the New Deal from being strangled by those old codgers on the Supreme Court, I was willing to use executive power to pack the court. The papers all over the country called me a dictator out to destroy the Constitution.’

’If I had clung to so-called ’political purity’ back then, like they do now, the United States would have rotted in the muck of the Great Depression long ago.’

’In this world, there are ultimately only two kinds of politicians.’

’The losers who clutch their principles all the way to the grave.’

’And the winners who are willing to get their hands dirty to achieve their final objective.’

’Ask him which kind of ally he really wants.’

Leo raised his head and said calmly into the phone, "Mr. Reynolds, I understand your concerns."

"But I must correct you on one point."

"I haven’t surrendered. I’m fighting."

"If I lose and Carter Wright is reelected, then Pittsburgh will remain Morganfield’s backyard, the working class will continue to be exploited, and the ideals of the Progressives will be nothing but empty words here."

"But if I win, even if that victory comes with some necessary compromises, I will have at least established a real beachhead for the Progressives in the Rust Belt."

"I’ve leveraged Morganfield’s greed to secure thousands of Union jobs, the modernization of the port, and the revival of this city."

"That’s my logic."

Leo paused, then posed his question.

"So what do you all really want?"

"Do you want a loser who, while ideologically pure, is doomed to lose the election and can only lament in the ruins?"

"Or do you want an ally who, while imperfect, can win the war and plant our flag on City Hall?"

The other end of the line fell silent again.

Marcus hadn’t expected the young man to be so frank about the relationship between means and ends.

But that wasn’t enough.

Logic alone isn’t enough. Ultimately, politics is about interests.

Leo knew this, too. He had to put a real bargaining chip on the table. He continued, "Mr. Reynolds, I know what you all need most."

"In the last several presidential elections, the Democratic Party—and the Progressives in particular—has struggled to make real inroads with the white, blue-collar voters in the Rust Belt."

"You’ve won the coasts. You’ve swept the University Cities. But in the industrial heartlands of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan, you’re losing."

"And at this rate, you’re going to keep losing."

"Your ideological foundation was built on the triumph of globalization and liberalism."

"On Capitol Hill, you sing the praises of open borders, champion free trade, and advocate for the borderless flow of capital and goods. You tell the world the future is green, digital, and without borders."