Forging America: My Campaign Manager is Roosevelt-Chapter 79 - 59: Counterattack

Inside the modular office.

Karen Miller sat in front of a computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

Ethan Hawke stood behind her, a cup of coffee in his hand, his expression calm.

Frank and Sarah stood a little farther away, watching the two professionals from Washington work on something completely beyond their comprehension.

Ten minutes later, Karen stopped typing.

She leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh.

"How is it?" Leo asked, walking over.

Karen turned her head, her expression a complex mix of emotions.

It was a mixture of shock, confusion, and a kind of professional excitement.

"Leo, this is just incredible." Karen pointed at the data charts on the screen. "I’ve worked on campaigns for fifteen years and used all sorts of databases, but I’ve never seen anything like this."

"This database is admittedly not as detailed as the official VAN System when it comes to traditional Democratic Party voters—those over sixty, who own their own homes, and attend church regularly. In fact, a lot of the data in there is five or six years old and very inaccurate."

"But," she said, her tone intensifying as she pulled up another chart, "when it comes to young voters between eighteen and thirty-five, blue-collar service workers who aren’t in a Union, swing voters registered as ’Independents,’ and low-income groups renting basements and shared apartments..."

"The level of detail in this system is frankly terrifying." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Karen moved the mouse and randomly clicked on a coordinate point in the Oakland University City area.

A detailed user profile popped up on the screen.

"Look at this," Karen read aloud. "Name: James Wrightlin. Occupation: Part-time Starbucks barista and a junior in Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh. Student loan debt: forty-five thousand US Dollars. Living situation: shared apartment. It even notes that he was forced to move last month because his landlord raised the rent."

"Political leanings: extreme aversion to the Establishment Faction, concerned about climate change. Active platforms: Reddit, TikTok. Note: has participated in a BLM march."

Karen looked up at Leo.

"In the official VAN System, this person is just a single line: ’No voting record.’ He might even be marked as ’invalid address’ because he moves so often."

"But in this system from Sanders, he’s a living, breathing person—someone filled with anger, a desire for change, and a strong drive to act."

"There are fifty thousand people just like James Wrightlin in this database."

Ethan added from the side, "This is what the Progressives have been doing for the past few years. We’ve relied on millions of volunteers to collect this data, bit by bit, at every rally, every door knock, every online petition."

"This is a database built with shoe leather."

Armed with this data, Leo decided he would no longer wait passively.

"Karen," Leo gave the order, "I want you to immediately draft a lawyer’s letter in the strongest possible terms. Send it directly to the chairman of the local Democratic Party committee and to the public email address of every single committee member."

"Tell them that their action of blocking our access to the VAN System is a serious violation of the Federal Election Commission’s core provisions regarding fairness in party primaries."

"If our access isn’t restored within twenty-four hours, we will file a lawsuit in Federal Court, accusing them of illegal election interference. We will also petition for a federal judge to issue an order to preserve all of their internal communications for discovery."

Karen replied, "No problem."

"Sarah." Leo then turned his head to Sarah.

"Help me rewrite a statement."

"The wording needs to be calm and professional."

"We won’t attack Carter Wright directly. We’ll simply express our confusion and concern regarding the actions of our local party committee."

"Why would our Pittsburgh Democratic Party committee, in the middle of such a critical mayoral primary, make such a low-level technical error that so clearly violates the principles of inner-party democracy and fairness?"

"Has the professional competence and independence of our local party committee been subjected to undue pressure and political interference from certain higher-level entities, or perhaps certain special interest groups?"

"Kick the ball back into Washington’s court."

"I’ve already thought of a headline," Leo said.

"Let’s call it, ’Saving the Pittsburgh Democratic Party: An Urgent Appeal from the Leo Wallace Campaign Team.’"

「Half an hour later.」

At the long table in the campaign headquarters, Karen Miller stood with a pen in her hand.

"It’s all here, Leo," Karen said. "The application for a temporary injunction against the local Democratic Party committee, and the complaint letter to the Federal Election Commission. As soon as you sign, these documents will be at the courthouse within ten minutes."

Sarah sat on the other side, a formatted press release displayed on the computer screen in front of her.

"The media is ready to go as well," Sarah added. "The moment you sign, this press release will be sent to every media outlet in the state."

The atmosphere in the room was grimly silent. Everyone was waiting for Leo’s counterattack.

Leo took the pen Karen handed him.

The tip of the pen hovered over the signature line. The moment it touched down, a media war would begin.

’Stop! Leo, don’t sign it.’

Roosevelt’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

Leo’s fingers froze.

’What’s wrong?’ he asked in his mind. ’Isn’t this Carter Wright’s retaliation? We have to fight back.’

’Pick up that suspension notice and read it again,’ Roosevelt commanded.

Leo put down the pen and picked up the printout of the red warning screenshot.

’Look at the clause it cites.’

Leo’s gaze fell on the bottom half of the notice.

The section for the reason stated: ’Pursuant to the provisions of Amendment 14 of the Democratic National Committee’s Data Compliance Charter, concerning the "Security Assessment of Third-Party Data Interfaces."’

’Amendment 14,’ Roosevelt’s voice grew low. ’That’s a new rule that was only passed in Washington three months ago. Even many state party chairs haven’t figured out the specific implementation details yet. A mind like Carter Wright’s, which only knows how to fix fountains and attend ribbon-cutting ceremonies, couldn’t possibly come up with such a highly technical, bureaucratic excuse.’

’More importantly, Leo, use your head.’

’Carter Wright is the Mayor, but this is the Allegheny County Democratic Party Committee.’

’What power does Carter Wright have to make the county committee risk violating election law for his sake, using a national-level clause to block a legitimate primary candidate with a single phone call?’

’This completely defies the logic of how power operates.’

’There’s only one explanation: this order didn’t come from City Hall, or even from the state of Pennsylvania. The county committee is just the end-terminal executing the command.’

’This isn’t local retaliation, Leo,’ Roosevelt concluded. ’This is a premeditated, top-down compliance purge, and you are the target.’

’Someone is using the Carter Wright situation to make a move against you.’

’I don’t know why yet, but someone is using a cannon to shoot a mosquito. If you sue the local committee now, you’ll fall right into their trap.’

’Because the person who gave the order isn’t in Pennsylvania at all.’

A chill ran up Leo’s spine. He understood everything in an instant.

Carter Wright’s shadow might be behind this, but he couldn’t have pulled this off on his own.

There had to be a directive from Washington.

He needed to know what Washington’s intentions were.

And right now, there was only one person on their team who could contact the higher-ups in Washington.

He put down the documents in his hand and tossed the pen back into the pen holder.

"Karen, Sarah, could you two step out for a moment?" Leo said suddenly.

Karen was taken aback. "Leo? Every second counts right now."

"Out," Leo said. "I need to speak with Ethan alone."

Karen and Sarah exchanged a look. Seeing the seriousness in Leo’s eyes, they gathered their things, led the others out of the office, and closed the door behind them.

Only Leo and Ethan remained in the modular office.

Ethan was holding his cup of coffee, looking at Leo.

"Ethan, look me in the eye."

Leo stared intently at the elite aide from Washington.

Ethan’s expression was calm. "What is it, Leo?"

"Blocking the VAN System wasn’t Carter Wright’s idea, was it?" Leo closed in, step by step. "This is someone from the top making a move on me."

Ethan’s hand trembled, and a few drops of coffee splashed onto the back of his hand.

He didn’t bother to wipe it off, staring at Leo in astonishment.

The political novice he had always regarded as talented but lacking in high-level political experience was now displaying a level of astuteness that sent a jolt through him.

"Did... Did Senator Sanders tell you?" Ethan asked subconsciously. "No, that’s impossible. He would never say something like this over the phone."

"He didn’t have to," Leo bluffed, his tone confident. "I’m a history major, Ethan. I’ve studied countless political purges. I know the feeling—using compliance to mask intent, using procedure to eliminate dissent. This has Washington’s fingerprints all over it."

Leo walked right up to Ethan until they were less than half a meter apart.

"Tell me the truth. If we’re going to be in the same trench taking bullets together, you can’t hide the enemy’s position from me."