"He’s two-faced."
"He used God’s na to deceive your souls, then turned around and sold your bodies to the capitalists."
"This is the kill shot."
Leo’s eyes lit up.
He’d finally found an opening.
All he had to do was bring the issue back to its most basic level: money.
Who took the money?
"I get it."
Leo picked up the phone on the desk, about to dial Karen’s number.
"Stop."
Roosevelt’s voice suddenly bood in his mind.
Leo’s finger hovered over the dial pad. He froze. "Why? Mr. President, we’ve found his Achilles’ heel. This is the perfect ti to attack."
"’Achilles’ heel?’" Roosevelt scoffed. "’Do you really think that with the ager power you have now, you can go all-in against a senator on Russell Warren’s level?’"
"’Leo, you’ve let the prospect of victory go to your head.’"
Roosevelt’s voice was like a bucket of ice water dumped on Leo’s overheating brain.
"’Use your head. Warren has been operating in Pennsylvania for thirty years. His voting record, his shady dealings with energy companies... do you really think that in all his past elections, not a single opponent ever discovered this? That not one investigative journalist ever dug into it?’"
"’Of course they have. Dirt far more explosive than this has probably been put under a microscope and examined countless tis.’"
"’So why is he still the Senator from Pennsylvania?’"
"’Because he’s too powerful. His roots run too deep. His control over this state is far beyond what you can imagine. Launching this kind of all-out assault on a veteran senator who’s been entrenched for thirty years isn’t sothing your current shoestring operation can pull off.’"
Leo slowly lowered the receiver, his eyes filled with a deep sense of frustration.
"’Wipe that look off your face, Leo.’"
Roosevelt had keenly picked up on his change in mood.
"’I didn’t give you this whole analysis, painting your opponent as so invincible titan, just to scare you. Nor was it to make you wallow in self-pity and get bogged down in so gloomy funk about how unfair the world is.’"
"’I just want to keep you from getting tunnel vision.’"
"’Attacking Warren is the right move—it’s strategic. But don’t get lost in it. Don’t turn this into a life-or-death duel that has to be won right now.’"
"’When you realize Warren is a brick wall, don’t be so stubborn that you break your own foot trying to kick it down.’"
"’Don’t forget what your real job is.’ Roosevelt’s voice pulled the focus back. ’Your strategic objective isn’t to defeat Warren right now. It’s to win the party primary.’"
"’Your real opponent is Aston Monroe.’"
"’We’re attacking Warren to poach his voters, to make the blue-collar workers who are fed up with the status quo see Murphy’s value. But that’s just a ans to an end, not the end itself.’"
"’You can win over the voters who are on the fence. You can use these attacks on him to build Murphy’s image as the ’defender of the working class.’ But if you turn it into a zero-sum deathmatch, you’re missing the point entirely.’"
"’Only after the primary, only when Murphy secures the nomination, only when you can unite the entire Democratic Party and have the funding and endorsent of the National Committee—only then will you be truly qualified to sit at the sa table as Warren.’"
"’For now, calm down, kid.’"
"’Don’t let your anger cloud your judgnt.’"
"’Now you can call Karen. We need to build a two-tiered mobilization model for Murphy.’"
"’Murphy’s real campaign starts now.’"
...
「Philadelphia, WPVI TV Station Studio」
This was the largest dia center in eastern Pennsylvania, and it was also Aston Monroe’s ho turf.
For this crucial debate between the two Democratic senatorial candidates, the station had practically transford the entire studio into a Roman colosseum.
A massive blue backdrop towered behind the stage, with a dozen caras positioned to cover every angle.
The air in the backstage dressing room felt thin.
John Murphy stood before a mirror, letting a makeup artist dust layer after layer of setting powder onto his weathered face.
Leo leaned against the doorfra, a bottle of water in his hand, watching Murphy’s tense shoulders.
"John," Leo said, his voice steady. "Look at ."
Murphy turned, his eyes betraying an undeniable tension.
"Rember what we talked about in the car." Leo walked over and adjusted Murphy’s navy blue tie. "There are only two people on this stage tonight."
" and Monroe," Murphy replied instinctively.
"Wrong."
Leo shook his head. He raised a finger and pointed outside the studio, to the west, toward the state’s vast heartland.
"You and Russell Warren."
Murphy froze for a second.
"Then what about Monroe? He’ll be at the podium right next to ."
"Monroe?" Leo said. "Forget Monroe."
"’If you spend tonight attacking Monroe, debating his policies, and exposing his hypocrisy, the audience will only see two Democrats tearing each other apart for the sa job.’"
"’But if you ignore him.’"
"’If, from start to finish, you only talk about Warren, only attack the Republican Party’s policies, and only discuss the future of Pennsylvania...’"
"’...the audience will form a subconscious impression.’"
"’They’ll see you as the presumptive nominee, the one representing the Democratic Party to challenge the Republicans.’"
"’And Monroe? He’ll just be a noisy piece of the backdrop, a supporting character not even worth your breath.’"
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