"But there’s still a risk. If the project fails, if Pittsburgh defaults, it’ll be a huge scandal for the Progressives."

"There’s always a risk," Murphy immediately responded. "But the rewards are just as immense."

He took a deep breath and began to play his final cards.

"Senator, Pittsburgh’s success won’t just belong to Pittsburgh."

"It will be a beacon, illuminating the vast rust belt wasteland in the middle of Pennsylvania."

"Think of the workers in Erie, Scranton, and Bethlehem. The people who have been taken for granted by the Republican Party for decades and completely forgotten by the Democratic Party’s Establishment Faction."

"When they see Pittsburgh’s workers earning Federation-backed wages, moving into renovated communities, and even owning their own co-ops, what will they think?"

"They will see hope."

"We’re not just carving up the pie within our own party, Daniel. We are forcefully snatching those votes right out of the Republican Party’s hands."

"Once we do that, not even the most stubborn old men on the Democratic National Committee will be able to stop us with excuses like ’starting a civil war’ or ’draining resources.’"

"Because we’ll be breaking new ground for the party. We’ll be winning back the territory they gave up on long ago."

"At that point, we Progressives will be in an inherently unbeatable position."

Silence fell on the other end of the line again.

Sanders was clearly evaluating the feasibility of this plan.

It was an exceptionally bold idea.

It bypassed the traditional financial evaluation system, directly constructing a closed financial loop based on ideology and political identity.

"Alright."

Sanders finally spoke.

"You’ve passed. This line of reasoning is... interesting."

"But, John."

Sanders’s tone shifted, returning to the most practical matter: a political quid pro quo.

"Why should I help you? Or rather, why should I help you take this risk?"

"If the bonds default, if the project fails, my credibility goes bankrupt with it. Why should I stake my entire reputation on the Mayor of Pittsburgh?"

"It’s not just for Leo."

Murphy threw out his final bait.

"It’s also for you."

"Senator, take a look at Pennsylvania right now."

"That Vice Governor from Philadelphia, he’s the successor handpicked by the Establishment Faction. He might fly the Democratic Party’s banner, but in his bones, he’s a Wall Street man, a Silicon Valley man."

"If he’s elected Senator, will he listen to you? Will he support your bills?"

"He’ll just become another stumbling block to the progressive agenda, another one of those lukewarm moderates in the Senate."

"But I’m different."

Murphy made his final promise.

"If these bonds are successfully issued, if Pittsburgh’s revival plan is launched."

"I, John Murphy, as the force behind this plan in Washington, as the one who brings the money home."

"I will have the absolute political capital to challenge that Vice Governor from Philadelphia."

"I’ll take this five-hundred-million-US-Dollar report card and sweep across the wastelands of Western Pennsylvania. I will pull the blue-collar white voters who’ve been duped by the Republican Party back under the Democratic Party’s banner."

Murphy lowered his voice.

"Daniel, you’re in a tough spot yourself right now. The Establishment Faction is trying to corner you, tripping you up in the Rules Committee."

"You need allies. Not some Representative who only knows how to abstain, but someone who can truly fight alongside you in this nation’s highest legislative body."

"Don’t you want one more Senator in the Senate who actually listens to you, who owes you a massive favor, and who comes from a key Swing State?"

"As long as I win, Pennsylvania will be your backyard."

"As long as I win, you will no longer be fighting alone in the Senate."

"And think even further ahead."

Murphy lowered his voice.

"When the time comes, you’ll have your own person in Pennsylvania. You could even sway the outcome of a Presidential election at the most critical moment."

"This deal... is worth the gamble."

After saying these last words, Murphy fell silent.

He had laid all his cards on the table.

He had placed himself, Leo, and all of Pittsburgh on one side of the scale.

Now, it was up to Sanders to decide if he would place that crucial weight on the other side.

The office was dead silent.

Leo sat in his chair, watching Murphy, also waiting for Sanders’s reply.

Roosevelt’s voice echoed in his mind.

’This is real politics, my boy.’

’It isn’t just about ideals, and it isn’t just about interests.’

’It’s about packaging ideals as interests, and then using those interests to drive the ideals forward.’

’Sanders is an idealist, but he’s also a realist. He knows that ideals without power are fragile.’

’You’ve given him a key to greater power.’

’He can’t refuse.’

For Sanders, this was, of course, a deal he couldn’t refuse.

Although Sanders held immense prestige in the Senate, he had always been a solitary figure. He lacked steadfast allies, partners who could charge into battle with him.

If they could win the Senate seat for the key Swing State of Pennsylvania, if they could turn that seat into a stronghold for the Progressives.

Then his influence within the party would take a quantum leap.

The breathing on the other end of the line became steady and deep.

After about a minute.

Sanders’s voice came through again.

"So... can you put Leo on the phone now?"

Murphy covered the receiver and looked at Leo.

This time, Leo took the phone.

"Hello, Senator Sanders. This is Leo Wallace."