America 1982-Chapter 465 - 82: Jeff Is Very Crafty_2
"The special election in our district had just entered its second day when a campaign scandal broke out. The campaign manager of the registered candidate Jeff Raven, Martin Hart, the African American shouting from the top of the car, proactively disclosed to the gathered crowd that Jeff was involved in election bribery. Moreover, he personally reported the incident to the police. Ironically, when the police arrived at the scene, none of the voters believed Jeff was involved in bribery. Jeff himself also claimed he was unaware of any bribery, stating that he had only met Martin Hart yesterday. After learning about his candidacy, Hart offered to become his campaign manager. The people at the scene were all willing to testify that Jeff had been framed, and many suspected that it was other candidates who had instructed Hart to set up Jeff. However, Hart insisted that everything was orchestrated by Jeff. The police have said that because of the suspected slander, Hart was taken to the police station for questioning. The latest information we’ve got from the police is that the handwriting on the alleged personal letters from Jeff Raven matches that of Martin Hart, proving that Hart was lying. Furthermore, someone saw Martin Hart following Jeff Raven into the Costco supermarket yesterday, and the sales staff there reported the loss of ten boxes of Trojan condoms, with the total value of seven US Dollars."
After presenting the news, the host shook his head and looked into the camera, "Martin Hart, I can believe you’re a campaign manager, but I find it hard to believe you’re serving Jeff Raven."
After watching the news, Tommy said to Jeff, "Tomorrow, local newspapers will continue to make a joke out of the trouble Hart caused. What do you think the mood of those three African American candidates is right now?"
Jeff shook his head, "What does this have to do with them?"
"They are the first ones suspected of sending Hart to set you up. African Americans make up only 18% of the total population here. These three African American candidates are typical also-rans. Even if they were one person and got all the African American votes, they wouldn’t stand a chance in this district." Tommy snuffed out his cigarette, picked up a bag of chips from the coffee table, and took one to eat:
"So, the African American votes are their bargaining chip. The more African American supporters they have, the more they can gain in return when negotiating cooperation with other more powerful candidates later in the race. Whoever receives the most African American support can secure better resources within the party. For instance, although they might not win a seat in the House of Representatives, as a reward, the winner could nominate them to run for a spot in the Florida legislature on behalf of their party."
"But they didn’t set me up, it’s more like you did, Tommy," Jeff said with a frown to Tommy. "Or maybe... I set myself up."
Tommy ignored Jeff’s words and continued, "Hart’s behavior is too much like someone ordered to deliberately set you up. The three African American candidates wouldn’t miss this opportunity. They all know they didn’t do it, so they’ll suspect the other two, and even try to smear each other with it. If, during the election, one can amplify any stain on the others, it is clearly very beneficial for consolidating African American supporters. That is to say, all three will try to find Hart to get the so-called truth. They’ll watch his next moves closely and may even try to contact him, tempting him with offers to attack the other two candidates for them."
"Why do it like this? Isn’t fair competition better? Why make those three African Americans fight each other?" Jeff asked, completely confused. "The truth is, none of the three had any contact with Hart."
"No one wants to believe that truth. Even if Hart were to say so, the African Americans wouldn’t believe him because they need a different truth, one that points to their opponent as the instigator," Tommy looked at Jeff. "Don’t worry, Hart won’t frame anyone."
Jeff sighed with relief upon hearing Tommy’s assurance.
"Hart won’t name anyone. He will take all the blame, including for stealing Trojans and slandering you. And you, you will need to stand out magnanimously, forgive him, issue a letter of pardon, and not pursue his legal responsibilities. Moreover, most importantly, you will continue to hire him as your campaign manager on the pretext of the demanding nature of the election work," Tommy said as he turned to Jeff.
Jeff had been trying to keep up with Tommy’s train of thought but regretfully, he couldn’t understand why Tommy was making things so complicated, "I don’t understand. Hart was already the campaign manager, you’ve made things so complex, and it seems nothing has changed. Why go through all this?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
"As long as Hart doesn’t reveal the name of that non-existent mastermind, the three African American candidates will always be under suspicion. And since they are convinced of their innocence, they’ll try to use this situation to attack the other two. Because Hart is willing to risk being jailed for slander rather than reveal the mastermind, everyone believes Hart is a very loyal subordinate to that person," Tommy explained to Jeff:
"He won’t betray that person, even if they don’t bail him out; even if you personally go there with a letter of forgiveness, he won’t name names. However, he could be moved by your kindness and offer to continue as your campaign manager. So, he will serve you wholeheartedly and help a white man like you to win support in the African American community. The African Americans who have watched this entire play unfold will feel Hart has done nothing wrong. He was loyal to the mastermind in the background, willing to face charges to protect that person’s name, but you chose to forgive him. They can understand why Hart brings you, a white man, to their community for votes because Hart, an African American, has the virtue of loyalty; Hart is repaying you, and you are a white man who repays bad with good to African Americans."
