Chapter 440: Chapter 206: A Different Path
Leo walked out of the Mike Mansfield Room.
The air in the hallway was less stale than in the conference room, but it was still heavy with tension.
Daniel Sanders walked at the back of the group.
The old Senator from Vermont walked slowly, his shoulders slumped.
John Murphy followed about five meters behind Sanders, his head bowed, legs moving mechanically.
Leo stood by the door, watching their retreating figures.
He pulled his phone from his pocket, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen.
Sent.
Five meters ahead, Murphy’s suit pocket vibrated.
Murphy, a bit sluggishly, took out his phone and lit up the screen.
There were just two short words.
"Turn around."
Murphy stopped in his tracks and spun around.
Leo was standing by a pillar in the hallway, phone in hand, watching him with a calm gaze.
Murphy glanced at Sanders, who was still walking forward, completely unaware of the disruption behind him. His Adam’s apple bobbed.
He hesitated for half a second, then made his decision.
He didn’t go on to console Sanders; he just stood where he was.
Leo strode over and grabbed Murphy’s arm.
"Come with me."
Leo said in a low voice.
Murphy didn’t resist, letting Leo pull him away from the group.
The two of them turned into a side corridor connecting to the Senate annex.
This place was far from the earlier arguments and dejection. It was deserted.
Murphy leaned against the windowsill. His hand trembled slightly as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He was about to light one, but then he glanced at the no-smoking sign on the wall and irritably shoved the pack back in.
"Leo, something’s not right." Murphy’s voice was laced with exhaustion. "We already communicated with Creston’s people. He promised he would suppress the opposition within the party and ensure we didn’t lose a single vote. How could Mannheim and Christo turn on us at a time like this?"
"This was a meticulously planned political takedown."
Roosevelt’s voice sounded.
"They chose to come out in opposition in front of all the Democratic senators to establish a trend in everyone’s eyes."
"A political trend meant to guide them away from the Progressives and toward the Establishment Faction."
"Think about Sanders’s current situation."
"During the last internal party purge, Sanders was forced to make huge compromises. Much of his political capital was burned up in that invisible battle."
"Now, even though he’s still in the ring, everyone can see how weak he is."
Roosevelt continued.
"That’s why Creston allowed all this to happen. For a leader, a tamed Senate is far easier to manage than a vibrant one."
Leo had no intention of relaying any of what Roosevelt was telling him to Murphy.
He simply said calmly, "Who knows? Maybe they had a change of heart, or maybe someone offered them a better price."
"But in any case, it’s much better that they showed their hand now, rather than stabbing us in the back during the official vote tomorrow."
Leo looked at Murphy, his expression calm.
"John, take out your phone."
Murphy froze for a moment, instinctively covering his pocket.
"What for? Who are you going to call? If it’s the media, it’s useless. A press release now won’t be enough to turn this defeat around."
"Not the media."
Leo held his hand out to Murphy, palm up.
"I need you to contact a few people."
"Who?"
"The Vice President of Government Relations at Lockheed Martin, the chief lobbyist for Raytheon Company, and the head of the Appalachian Energy Association in Washington."
Murphy’s eyes went wide. He looked around in alarm and lowered his voice.
"Lobbyists? The K Street crowd?"
Murphy’s voice was hushed, laced with obvious panic.
"Leo, are you insane? Senator Sanders has warned us a thousand times, this is a red line! If he finds out we’ve been privately contacting lobbyists from the military-industrial complex and the energy giants, he’ll kill us!"
Murphy was breathing heavily.
"No, absolutely not. We can’t take that risk. As long as we hold on, as long as public opinion..."
"Public opinion can’t save us."
Leo cut him off.
He took a step forward, and the closing physical distance made Murphy feel immense pressure.
"John, Sanders’s way is good, it’s righteous, but in Washington today, justice moves too slowly."
"We can’t count on the Democrats. The Progressives are too weak."
Leo stared into Murphy’s eyes, his tone cold.
"The only hope of passing this two-billion-US-Dollar bill now is to get the Republicans to vote for us."
"The Republican Party is naturally inclined to oppose our proposals; that’s dictated by their party loyalty. But, John, you also have to see the other side. When faced with enormous benefits, what does party loyalty even mean?"
Leo continued, "That two billion US Dollars is Federation money, not money from the Republican Party’s donors."
"Senator Cole can ignore the White House, but he wouldn’t dare ignore Lockheed Martin, because half of his campaign funding comes from those missile manufacturers."
Murphy leaned against the wall, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Of course, he knew Leo was right. He’d been knocking around Washington for twenty years; he understood the logic of this place better than anyone.
But Sanders’s warning was still ringing in his ears.
"Leo, this is playing with fire." Murphy’s voice trembled. "As Democrats, making deals with lobbyists from the military-industrial complex... if this gets out, Sanders will kill us."
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