Chapter 699 326: Taming Capital

Leo looked at Vance.

"I'm sure you didn't come here just to keep fighting me."

"All of our maneuvering against each other, when it comes down to it, is about calculating potential gains. If I can offer you a projected return ten times higher than your current one, I believe your bottom line will become quite flexible."

"What do you mean?" Vance asked warily.

"I'm going to raise the legal retirement age."

Leo threw out his bargaining chip.

Vance froze for a second, then scoffed.

"Raise the retirement age? Mr. Wallace, you're just a Mayor, not even a Governor. What makes you think you have the power to interfere in Federation legislation? That's a bombshell of an issue that would strike a nerve with hundreds of millions of people across All of America."

"It's precisely because I'm a Mayor that I can propose it."

Leo's gaze deepened.

"If the big shots in Washington proposed it, it would be political suicide. But what if I, a hero of the Rust Belt, a representative of the workers, proposed it?"

"I'll package it as a necessary sacrifice for the nation's fiscal health, and spin it as part of the fighting spirit that lets workers earn high salaries for a few more years."

"I'll use my influence to shape public opinion at the grassroots level, convincing people that this is the only way to keep the social security fund from going bankrupt."

"Once the issue starts brewing among the public and the opposition is no longer unanimous, the Politicians in Washington will jump on the bandwagon."

"Because they've wanted to do it for a long time. They just needed a scapegoat, someone brave enough to be the one to say the unsayable."

Leo pointed to himself.

"I'm that scapegoat."

Vance was silent.

But just a few seconds later, he burst out laughing, his laughter dripping with undisguised contempt.

"Leo, you've got quite an imagination."

Vance shook his head.

"While there's talk in Washington about you becoming vice president, that's all it is—talk."

Vance stood up, clearly not intending to waste time on this nonsensical topic.

"Let's talk about something more practical, like how you plan to compensate us for our losses…"

"Vance."

Leo didn't move, just watched him quietly.

"Do you think I'm joking?"

Leo's voice was calm.

"Look at your situation. The Democratic Party is cracking down on you to please their voters. The Republican Party is coming after you because you backed the wrong horse. Right now, you're orphans caught in the crossfire between the two parties. Anyone can take a shot at you."

"You desperately need an opportunity—a way to prove your loyalty and pick a new side."

Leo's fingers tapped lightly on the bedsheet.

"Raising the retirement age isn't just about massive profits. It's an olive branch to the conservatives, a bill that would let you win back political allies."

"And I am the only Democrat with the clout and the nerve to propose this bill."

Vance reassessed the young man in the hospital bed.

He had to admit, Leo's political instincts were terrifyingly sharp.

He had precisely pinpointed the pharmaceutical giants' most precarious predicament.

"This will take time," Vance's voice lowered. "This can't be done in one or two years. It requires lengthy lobbying, hearings, and maneuvering."

"I know," Leo replied. "I never said I could give you results now. This is an investment in the future. It just depends on whether you're willing to pay a small down payment now for a market worth hundreds of billions."

Vance sank into deep thought.

Leo silently asked Roosevelt in his mind, 'Mr. President, will they really buy it?'

'Isn't capital notoriously short-sighted? Would they really give up current profits for a promise that might not pay off for five, or even ten, years?'

'That short-sightedness only applies to small-time merchants.'

Roosevelt's voice echoed in his mind.

'Small-time capital is like a building on quicksand. Its margin for error is razor-thin.'

'A single policy shift or a three-month cash flow disruption can bankrupt them. That's why they can only focus on the here and now, chasing quick returns and looking for loopholes in the existing laws.'

'But giants like Pfizer are monoliths. They have vast assets and can absorb strategic losses for years.'

'They think about industry dominance twenty, or even fifty years into the future. They aren't just market participants; they are political entities in their own right, capable of participating in legislative battles and setting the rules.'

Roosevelt paused for a moment.

'What's more, Vance won't even need to go back and ask for instructions. I'm sure their bottom line is much lower than what we proposed.'

'You just have to prove to him that getting involved in this legislative battle is a defensive investment in itself. Even if the law doesn't pass right away, the organizational muscle they build in the process can be used to deter rivals and force other interest groups to make concessions.'

'So, he'll take the gamble. Because he has no way out.'

Sure enough, Vance looked at Leo.

"Alright."

"If you can really push this agenda… we can talk."

"But…" Vance questioned, "how will you convince the Democratic Party? And how will you convince Sanders?"

"You're the standard-bearer for the Progressives right now. Raising the retirement age is a classic conservative proposal, a cut to workers' rights. Sanders will kill you, and the Progressives will tear you to shreds."

Leo answered nonchalantly, "He's an idealist, but he's also a Politician. He knows better than anyone how big the hole in the social security fund is. If I don't bring it up, the Republican Party will in a few years, and the Democratic Party will be even more on the defensive."