Forging America: My Campaign Manager is Roosevelt

Chapter 448: Chapter 209: An Undefinable Creature

"You worry too much."

"The reason I’m doing this isn’t just for Pittsburgh, but for the Democratic Party as well."

Leo’s tone became sincere.

"Take a look at the polls in Pennsylvania."

"Before this, Senator Warren’s approval ratings were rock-solid. Independent voters didn’t trust us, and blue-collar workers had abandoned us."

"But now..."

"We’re regaining lost ground."

"We’re proving to the working class across the United States that the Democratic Party does more than just wage culture wars or worry about which sign to put on a bathroom door."

"We can also manage the economy. We can also deliver real paychecks."

Leo spread his hands.

"I turned a Republican Party donor into one of our supporters."

"Isn’t that the greatest possible contribution to the party?"

"As for Sanders..."

Leo paused for a moment.

"I respect him a great deal, but he’s too much of an idealist."

"I’m a Mayor. I have to make sure people can eat."

"On this issue, I’m just like you."

"I only care about results."

Montoya stared at Leo.

In those young eyes, he saw ambition, he saw cunning, and he also saw a brand of realism that felt familiar.

’This young man doesn’t subscribe to Sanders’s dogma. He believes in power itself. This is good. Men of faith are difficult to control; they’ll die for their principles. But men of desire are easy to control, because you can make deals with them.’

Montoya smiled.

This time, he smiled genuinely, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out.

"Good."

"Very good."

"’Made in America,’" Montoya repeated the phrase. "That slogan is perfect."

He extended a hand.

"Young man, I used to think you were just a troublemaker Sanders found, a radical who would only cause problems for the party."

"Now I see I misjudged you."

"You might just be the sharpest knife our party has."

Leo took the offered hand.

It was dry, strong, and the palm was covered in calluses.

"Next time you come to Washington, don’t stay in a hotel."

Montoya patted the back of Leo’s hand.

"Hotels aren’t clean. Find my secretary, and he’ll arrange a place for you."

"If you need any resources, or if you run into any trouble you can’t handle, call me directly."

"Don’t go to Sanders. He’ll just preach at you."

"Come to me."

"I’ll teach you how to really get things done in this city."

The weight of Montoya’s words was heavier than those two billion US dollars.

This meant that Leo had officially been noticed by the true power brokers at the top of the Democratic Party.

"Thank you, Mr. Montoya."

Leo gave a slight bow.

"I’ll remember your advice."

"Alright, go on."

Montoya released his hand and gave a wave.

"Go catch your flight. You’ve still got a mess to clean up back in Pittsburgh."

"Don’t let this fire die out."

"We need good news from you."

Leo turned, walked out of the office, and got into a taxi headed for the airport.

’Not only did we get the money, we also gained Montoya’s friendship.’

Leo said to Roosevelt in his mind.

’But this isn’t normal, Mr. President.’

Leo’s mind remained clear and calm at this moment.

’I’m just the Mayor of Pittsburgh. He’s the House Whip, one of the most powerful people in the Democratic Party. Why would he be so courteous to me?’

"Because you’re a variable, Leo," Roosevelt answered. "Did you think that everything you’ve been doing in Pennsylvania was just spinning your wheels in some small circle?"

"Every decision you’ve made, every alliance you’ve built in Pittsburgh, every vote you’ve dug up from the Rust Belt—it’s all been compiled into the most detailed intelligence reports and delivered to Montoya’s desk."

"He can see your value."

"He saw how you tore an opening in Republican Party territory, and he saw how you reorganized those forgotten voters."

"More importantly, he saw the rift between you and Sanders."

Roosevelt gave a cold laugh.

"Your tough stance on Sanders today, even though it was in private... for a man like Montoya, whose sense of smell is sharper than a dog’s, he definitely picked up on the friction between you and Sanders."

"A rising political star who is capable, ambitious, and seeking to develop independently is the perfect target for the Establishment Faction to win over."

"He wants to exploit the opening."

"He wants to poach you from the Progressives’ camp and turn you into a card in his hand."

"And besides," Roosevelt added, "he’s the Party Whip. His position limits him. There’s dirty work, gray areas involving cross-party deals, that he can’t get involved in personally. Doing so would damage his prestige within the party."

"But you can."

"You have no baggage. You dare to think and dare to act. Your performance today proved that you’re a perfect middleman, an ideal white glove."

"He’s not just admiring you; he’s investing in you."

"He’s judged that you’re definitely not someone who’ll be trapped in a small pond like Pittsburgh. He’s betting you’ll swim out into the ocean."

"So, he’s opened a door for you in advance."

Listening to Roosevelt’s analysis, the corners of Leo’s mouth turned up slightly.

’In this game of power, everyone is scheming, everyone is placing their bets. But that’s fine. As long as it makes me stronger, as long as I can get the chips I want, being used is just another way of showing my value.’

’In any case,’ Leo thought, watching the scenery fly by outside the window, his mood becoming exceptionally bright.