Chapter 620 - 292: Firing Loose Sand into Bricks

"I gave the workers the Wagner Act, giving them the confidence to negotiate with their bosses."

"I gave farmers agricultural subsidies so they would no longer go bankrupt from price fluctuations."

"I gave Black people equal employment opportunities. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave them hope."

"This wasn’t just about justice. It was about sharing the spoils,"

Roosevelt said candidly.

"I made everyone feel that supporting Roosevelt was supporting their own wallets."

"This Alliance dominated United States politics for over thirty years, only breaking apart in the late sixties. It was my strongest shield against the old order."

Leo nodded.

What he was doing now was an imitation of this very process.

He was using the Mutual Aid Alliance, low-cost medicine, and job opportunities to bind the workers, farmers, students, and even some of the centrists in Pittsburgh to his war chariot.

"But, Leo."

Roosevelt’s tone shifted.

"This alone is not enough."

"This is just about rallying the masses."

"Inside the belly of this capitalist beast, you need a stronger backbone."

"You need a gun."

"The military-industrial complex?" Leo asked.

"Exactly."

Roosevelt’s voice took on a complex tone.

"Many people curse the military-industrial complex, calling it a warmonger, a Vampire. Eisenhower even warned of its dangers when he left office."

"But they forget who created this monster."

"I did,"

Roosevelt admitted.

"In the early days of World War II, I proposed the concept of the Democratic Arsenal."

"To achieve war mobilization, I had to break the United States’ traditional hostility toward large corporations. So, I orchestrated a thorough exchange of interests."

"I appointed numerous Wall Street executives and corporate titans to government mobilization departments to manage war production."

"I gave them cost-plus contracts. This meant that no matter how much a company spent, the government guaranteed their profit."

"This move made the industrial giants, who were mired in the Great Depression and deeply hostile to me, realize that supporting my war policy was extremely low-risk and wildly profitable."

"I turned them from enemies into allies,"

Roosevelt continued.

"And not just the factories, but the laboratories too."

"The Manhattan Project pioneered the model of government funding for large-scale scientific research. I allocated huge sums of money to universities, labs, and corporations."

"I tied Science and the military together."

"More importantly, I deeply entwined military-industrial interests with electoral districts."

"I intentionally located a large number of shipyards and aircraft factories in the historically impoverished Southern States and on the West Coast."

"This made the officials and Congressmen from those areas realize that as long as they supported military spending, they could bring jobs and tax revenue to their districts."

"From then on, military-industrial interests became electoral interests, forming an unshakeable iron triangle in Congress."

A chilling tone crept into Roosevelt’s voice.

"It was killing three birds with one stone."

"I divided the capitalists, turning the financial capitalists who opposed me into defense contractors who depended on me."

"I co-opted labor. Millions of workers found employment in munitions factories, and the Unions grew stronger because of war contracts."

"I strengthened the Federation’s power. By controlling the nationwide allocation of resources, I gained an unprecedented level of control."

Leo felt a chill run down his spine as he listened to Roosevelt’s account.

It was such a grand strategy, and yet such a dangerous gamble.

"Mr. President, weren’t you afraid at the time that this monster would spiral out of control?"

"It did spiral out of control,"

Roosevelt sighed.

"I solved the Great Depression, but in doing so, I turned the United States economy into a beast that must constantly find new enemies to sustain its growth."

"I resolved the domestic conflicts of the time by creating this bloc, but in its place, I created an even larger and harder-to-control class force."

"This force later grew so powerful that it could, in turn, hold the United States’ decision-making hostage."

"But,"

Roosevelt’s voice became firm again.

"At that moment, to defeat fascism, to save civilization, I had to do it."

"This is the fate of a statesman."

"You must choose which of the two poisons to drink."

Leo fell silent.

He was doing the same thing.

He was using the power of capital to fight capital, creating a new interest group to oppose the old one.

"There is one more pillar, Leo,"

Roosevelt reminded him.

"The bureaucratic-technocratic class."

"I created a vast number of Federation Agencies: the SEC, the FCC, the SSA. This gave rise to a huge class of professional bureaucrats and intellectuals."

"These people’s careers and power were built entirely upon the New Deal system."

"They were not just the implementers of policy, but also the volunteer propagandists and guardians of the New Deal’s ideals."

"Even after I died, this massive bureaucratic machine continued to operate according to my logic for decades."

"This is also what you are doing now."

Roosevelt looked at Leo.

"You established the Mutual Aid Alliance, created the Alliance’s voucher system, and built a massive data center."

"Those analysts, programmers, and community organizers who work for you."

"They are your new bureaucratic class."

"Their interests are tied to yours."

"This is your foundation."

’I understand,’

Leo thought.

’I’m building a nation right now.’

"Correct." Roosevelt smiled. "Although this ’nation’ of yours is a bit small, it has all the essential parts."

"You must understand, the most fragile period for a new regime is when it attempts to define the rules."

"You will have to face the cheapest, yet most lethal, of weapons: the mouthpieces who proclaim themselves guardians of civilization."

"They will use the logic of morality and law to deconstruct your legitimacy, trying to use these hollow words to drag you back into their order."

"But that is the opportunity, Leo. We must use this attack and turn it into a catalyst to solidify our internal loyalty."

Leo’s gaze fell upon the television. Watching the so-called experts who were still chattering endlessly on the screen, a cold smile touched the corner of his mouth.

’Curse all you want.’

’The more viciously you curse me on television, the more persuasive my workers will be at their dinner tables.’

’The dam you build with lies cannot hold back the flood of real interests.’

’Mr. President,’

Leo murmured in his mind.

’The kindling has been laid.’

’Now, all it needs is a little wind.’

Roosevelt’s voice was tinged with amusement.

"The wind is already rising, Leo."

"Listen."

Outside the window, the wind howled.

It was the sound of countless car engines about to start, the footsteps of innumerable people about to head home.

The weekend was coming.