Chapter 586 - 273: Prisoner’s Dilemma

"The barefoot man never fears the one in shoes. If you don’t agree to my terms, the Republican Party won’t even get a sniff of those two positions. We can all just spend the winter guarding the ruins together."

Taylor fell silent on the other end of the line.

He was clearly assessing the cost of compromise, while also weighing just how far this madman, Leo, would dare to go.

’Besides, is getting rid of Leo even worth it?’

He did a quick calculation in his head. The Republican Party had always been suppressed by the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania, but this Leo Wallace, who had appeared out of nowhere, had actually caused the Republican Party’s national approval ratings to rise.

In fact, in Taylor’s mind, the bigger the commotion Leo caused, the better. It would only accelerate the internal division within the Democratic Party.

But he didn’t speak immediately. He was waiting for the outcome of Leo’s talk with the Democratic Party to see how that sly old fox, Walker, would react.

"Walker, now it’s your turn."

Leo turned his attention to the Democratic Party.

"For the Democratic Party, my terms are also very simple."

"All you have to do is abandon Monroe and support William to take his place."

"I promise."

"In the presidential and Senate elections two years from now, I will lead the Industrial Revival Alliance and the hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers from the entire Rust Belt to fully support the Democratic Party’s candidates."

Walker sighed impatiently on the other end of the line.

"Leo, I’ve had enough of your blackmail."

"You keep using that bloc of votes to threaten us, time and time again."

"Besides, Monroe is already in office. He’s our man. As long as he stabilizes the situation, those votes are supposed to be ours anyway."

"Why should we sacrifice a Governor we already have for an uncertain promise?"

Leo replied, "Because Monroe can’t hold on."

"Walker, my grip on Pennsylvania is far greater than you can imagine."

"I know what that idiot Monroe is thinking. He definitely wants to invoke the governor’s emergency powers to take full administrative control of my Pittsburgh, to take over my Industrial Revival Alliance."

Walker cut in from the other end of the line. "It’s not your Pittsburgh, Leo. That is the Democratic Party’s Pittsburgh."

Leo scoffed.

"Whatever you say."

"Walker, I think you’re well aware of the two forms of power."

"One is structural, institutional power—the kind Monroe holds right now. Executive orders, legal statutes, the police, and the National Guard."

"And the other kind..."

Leo’s voice grew low.

"It isn’t written on paper, but it’s real. It comes from the support of the workers, the trust of the community, and actual control over the city’s economic lifeblood."

"If Monroe dares to use his structural power against me, I will immediately unleash my real power, and we’ll have an all-out confrontation."

"When that happens, Pittsburgh will be paralyzed, and Western Pennsylvania will secede. The confrontation between the Federal Government and the State Government will be laid bare for all to see, and the situation will spiral out of control."

"Before things get to that point, Walker, we can still talk."

"I can back down. I can even promise to do everything I can in the next election to cooperate with the Democratic Party’s campaign in Pennsylvania and help you hold on to your seats."

"But the condition is that Monroe has to go. He must be replaced by William Saint Cloud."

Leo laid his cards on the table.

"Walker, you can consider this an early gubernatorial election. And I, Leo Wallace, have already won. William Saint Cloud is just a proxy I’ve pushed to the front. I am the one truly in control of Pennsylvania."

"If you accept this reality, we can cooperate, and Pennsylvania will remain blue."

"If you don’t accept—if you insist on backing Monroe—then we go to war."

"Pennsylvania will be torn to shreds, and the only ones who profit will be the Republican Party. I don’t care either way. The barefoot man doesn’t fear the one in shoes."

"The choice is yours."

"You’re making the two parties in Pennsylvania fight to the death," Walker demanded, "while you sit in the middle and play referee?"

"No."

Leo stood up.

"I’m just fixing this broken system."

"The two of you have been fighting here for decades. What have you left behind, other than a landscape of rust?"

"Since neither of you can subdue the other, you’ll listen to me. I’ll give you your benefits, and you’ll give me some peace."

"I’m giving you a chance for a fair fight in Pennsylvania."

On the other end of the line, Raymond Walker’s voice was filled with exhaustion and resignation.

"Leo, is this the only trick you know? Threatening us with Pennsylvania’s votes every single time?"

"You don’t need a lot of tricks. Just one that works."

Leo Wallace had laid the deal out in the open, plain and simple.

He was making it clear that he wanted the Democratic Party and the Republican Party to keep fighting in Pennsylvania, letting them keep each other in check and wear each other down.

It was a prisoner’s dilemma, plain for all to see.

In this triangular power dynamic, the Republican Party controlled the Pennsylvania state legislature, giving them the power of legislative veto.

Previously, although Campbell and Monroe were both Democrats, as Governor and Vice Governor they could at least provide an administrative check on the Republican-controlled legislature.

But now, things were different.

Thanks to Leo’s machinations, with Monroe taking office, the President pro tempore of the State Senate would now be a Republican.

This meant that the three highest state-level executive and judicial positions—Governor, Vice Governor, and State Attorney General—would form a peculiar combination: Democrat, Republican, and Republican.