Forging America: My Campaign Manager is Roosevelt-Chapter 42 - 34: Wrestling in the Mire

"A naive, foolish plan, doomed to fail."

Roosevelt’s voice echoed in his mind.

"Son, do you think politics is a debate competition? That the one with the better argument wins? Do you think an election is just a numbers game? That the person who hands out the most flyers wins?"

"You know so little about this country’s politics."

"Positive campaigning is a must, of course, and ground mobilization is essential," Roosevelt said. "But that’s like the honor guard and the military band on a battlefield. They put on a big, lively show, but they can’t kill anyone."

"To win an election this close, you must learn to use another kind of weapon. One that is older, more effective, and far dirtier."

"What is it?" Leo asked curiously.

"Negative attacks."

Leo felt a pang of discomfort.

"Do you mean you want us to invent lies to smear Cortes?"

"No," Roosevelt immediately shot him down. "Fabricating lies is the lowest form of attack, and it’s easily exposed. When I say negative attacks, I’m not telling you to become a liar. I’m telling you to learn how to be a precision hunter."

"You need to learn how to dig up and detonate the real dirt that exists on your opponent."

Roosevelt began to educate Leo on the other side of American political warfare.

"When I was President, the director of the FBI was a man named Edgar Hoover. He started during the Coolidge administration and served all the way through the Nixon administration. His career spanned eight presidents, and he held that position for forty-eight years."

"Do you know why not a single President dared to fire him? Because his office contained a secret file cabinet that everyone feared. That cabinet was filled with dirt on every important figure in Washington, from the love affairs of Congressmen to the financial problems of Supreme Court justices. He knew everything."

"That’s not justice, Leo. But it is one of the most fundamental ways power operates in this country."

"Now, let’s get back to the opponent in front of you."

"That young progressive, Alex Cortes, presents himself as a perfect political saint. He doesn’t accept any political donations from major corporations, he always stands with the poor, and his private life is impeccable."

"But you must remember, the more someone portrays themselves as flawless, the more likely it is they’re hiding a fatal weakness in some obscure corner."

"Because perfection itself is a lie."

Leo fell silent.

He knew Roosevelt was right, but deep down, he still resisted such tactics.

"So where do we start?" he asked, almost subconsciously.

"Don’t go digging for baseless rumors about his private life," Roosevelt instructed. "That stuff might grab headlines, but its impact is limited, and it can easily backfire with voters."

"We need to attack from two key angles: money and words."

"First, his money. Go to the official Federal Election Commission website and download all of his public campaign finance reports, starting from the day he announced his candidacy." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Don’t bother with the large donation records. He’s smart; he won’t leave any loose ends there. We need to look at the thousands upon thousands of small-dollar donations."

"Have Sarah put a team together to cross-reference the information for every single donor who gave more than fifty US Dollars. See if any of these seemingly ordinary donors are actually fronts with hidden identities."

"See if any donations came from foundations tied to special interest groups, or from non-profits that claim to be environmental but are secretly backed by energy company money."

"In the United States, the campaign finance laws have more holes than a sieve. If you’re patient enough, you’ll always find something interesting hidden in those unremarkable numbers."

"Second, his words. This is called opposition research."

"I want you to dig up every article he’s written, every statement he’s made, since he started college—on the internet, in the school paper, on any and all forums."

"A person’s views change with time and experience. That’s normal. But for a political figure, past statements become the best tripwires for their present self."

"See if he made any extremely immature statements back in college. Did he ever support policies that he now opposes? Did he ever praise people he now attacks?"

"What we’re looking for are these inconsistencies. Then, we package them into a ’political integrity report’ and drop it in front of the voters when you need it most."

Listening to Roosevelt’s lesson on "dirty work," a chill ran down Leo’s spine.

This ran completely contrary to the upright and honorable political ideals he had always believed in.

"Mr. President, isn’t this... a little despicable?" he asked.

Roosevelt’s voice grew stern.

"Son, let me repeat myself: this isn’t a gentleman’s debate on a university team. This is a street fight in a mud pit."

"When your enemy is ready to stab your allies in the back with a sharp knife, are you still going to be naively worrying about whether your boxing stance follows the rules of fair play?"