America 1982

At the home of Jeff's friend Zach, Tommy sat at the dining table and counted the bills. After counting, he put his 100 yuan back into his wallet.

The remaining change totaled only about 400 yuan. Tommy registered each donor's name and donation amount in his notebook. After making sure that there were no problems with the account, he raised his head and stretched his cervical vertebrae.

This kind of donation needs to establish an account book for the campaign committee to review and investigate, and it must ensure that every money is used for the candidate's campaign expenses.

Jeff was walking anxiously next to him. When he saw Tommy stop, he immediately asked: "Are we going to the police station to bring Martin back? I...you didn't say that I will follow your instructions, and so will Martin." Gonna be taken away by the police, Tommy.”

"Don't worry, it only took four hours." Tommy picked up the stack of bills and looked at Jeff: "Don't you want to know how much donations you received from those neighbors? Four hundred and thirty-seven dollars and seventy-five cents. "

Jeff was stunned for a moment, and then said excitedly: "Wow, that's a lot of money, and everyone is actually willing to spend so much money to support me? I will win, right Tommy?"

More than four hundred yuan, in fact, strictly speaking, it is not much compared to Jeff's income, that is, his income for a week and a half or a week, but the amount is not important. The most important thing is that he, Jeff LaVine, is the first person in his life. Gaining encouragement, support and trust from so many people at once, the neighbors knew that he might not have a chance, but they all encouraged him to give it a try, just like Tommy.

Tommy closed the ledger, lowered his head and lit a cigarette, and said disapprovingly:

"In 1860, Lincoln's total expenses for running for president were only $100,000. But now, just to find a seat in the House of Representatives, which has several hundred seats, costs about $300,000, and it's in a poor place like Florida. It's so cheap. What makes you think you can win after receiving a donation of more than 400 yuan from your neighbors in Santiao Street? On average, it is equivalent to each of those parents donating you 3.6 US dollars. Regardless of the outcome, even if you want to have enough funds to support you until the final showdown, it means you need to find another 100,000 neighbors willing to donate $3.60 to you."

Jeff was stunned speechless by the number Tommy told him.

There are 100,000 people, and the entire 18th district only has less than 200,000 people. Meeting the conditions Tommy mentioned means that more than half of the population in this district is willing to trust him like the neighbors who have known each other for many years. Give him $3 and he has a chance to raise 300,000.

"I can't do it, Tommy. No one can be liked by 100,000 people, unless it's Elvis Presley or the Sky Blacksmiths." Jeff recovered from the shock and looked at Tommy: "It's not as good as us. Return the money to everyone, I... And if so many people really support me, I promise to provide free pipe repairs to families who donate. One hundred thousand people can repair one house a day. How many months will it take me to repair it? Help me Do the math, I’m... not very good at math.”

"About two hundred and seventy years, from this year until your death at the age of eighty-one, you can still leave two hundred and twenty years of free work for your four children to inherit. Each of them will inherit an average of fifty-five years. According to the fact that they start paying off your debts at the age of eighteen, everyone must work until the age of seventy-three without any holidays before they can all be completed." Tommy smiled and looked at Jeff.

Jeff stared at Tommy blankly: "You're kidding, right?"

Seeing that Tommy didn't respond, Jeff frantically walked to the table and picked up the account book: "I don't like to break my word. I promised that if I was elected, I would provide free pipe repairs to donors, but I can't let my son do it for me. The only way to repay the debt is for me to quit. I don’t want my children to be like me, dealing with smelly pipes every day, and repaying their father’s promise without pay.”

"There won't be many people willing to donate money to you. Your small donation can only be so much. Why? It's very simple. These people are your neighbors. They have known you for many years and watched you grow from one A child who lost his father and was cared for by a neighborhood church has now grown up to be a good man who helps the church and the neighborhood take care of other children. They are willing to give you some money to encourage you. The kindness they show to you does not mean that this area does not recognize you. The 200,000 people must follow suit, so the next focus is on those companies, social organizations, churches, etc. that are active in this area. In short, whoever has money, we will raise money for him." Tommy closed That money, stood up and said.

"The most important thing next is not to go to the police station to rescue Martin. He has been taken away for four hours." Jeff thought of Martin who was taken away by the police again, and urged Tommy: "He... I don’t know why you want Martin to lie, and why you want me to act with him in front of everyone, it doesn’t feel good to lie.”

"Wait a minute." Tommy sat on the sofa, turned on the TV, and tuned to the news channel of the local TV station: "Wait until all four local TV stations publish Martin's stupid social news, especially the BT TV that black people like to watch. After the news is broadcast on the Internet, we will visit him again, and I...oh~ look, it’s Martin’s news, I’m finally waiting for you.”

When Jeff heard Tommy's words, he also looked at the TV. He saw that the hourly news program on the TV was playing local news. The scene on the screen was the scene that happened in the school parking lot in the morning. Martin stood on the roof of the car and said loudly to Jeff Regarding the matter of sending letters to parents, the host looked at the camera:

"On the second day of the special election in this district, there was a campaign disturbance. Martin Hart, the campaign manager of registered candidate Jeff Lavine, the black man standing on the roof of the car and shouting, took the initiative to The gathered people revealed that Jeff had bribed the vote, and he took the initiative to call the police. What was funny was that when the police arrived at the scene, all the voters at the scene did not think that Jeff had bribed the vote. Jeff also said that he had no knowledge of the vote bribery. According to him, Martin - Hart just met him yesterday. After learning that he was running for the election, he offered to be his campaign manager. People present were willing to prove that Jeff was framed, and they all suspected that other candidates might have instigated Martin to frame him. Jeff, but Martin insisted that everything was at Jeff's instigation. The police said that because he was suspected of defaming others, Martin was taken back to the police station for questioning. The latest news our station has learned from the police is that those so-called Jeff LaVine The handwriting on the autographed letter matches that of Martin Hart, which can prove that Martin Hart lied. Moreover, someone saw Martin Hart following Jeff LaVine into the Costco supermarket yesterday. The supermarket salesperson also said that it was lost. I bought ten boxes of ten pieces of Torjan finger gel covers, with a total value of seven US dollars.”

After introducing the news, the host shook his head and looked at the camera: "Martin Hart, I can believe you are the campaign manager, but I don't quite believe you serve Jeff LaVine."

After Tommy read the news, he said to Jeff: "Tomorrow there will be local newspapers that treat Martin's trouble as a joke and continue to publish it. What do you think the three black candidates are feeling at this time?"

Jeff shook his head: "What does this have to do with them?"

"The three of them were the first to be suspected of sending Martin to frame you. Black people in this district only account for 18% of the total population. These three black people are typical runners. Even if the three of them become one person, they will get All black votes have no chance in this district." Tommy crushed his cigarette, picked up a pack of potato chips on the coffee table, took out a piece and put it in his mouth:

“So, the votes of black people are their trading goods. The more black supporters they have, the more rewards they can get when negotiating cooperation with other more powerful candidates in the later stage. Whoever gets the most black support will win. He can get better resources within the party. For example, although he cannot win a seat in the House of Representatives this time, the elected candidate can, in return, nominate him to represent his party in running for a position in the Florida Legislature.”

"But, they didn't frame me, it's more like you framed me, Tommy." Jeff frowned and said to Tommy: "Or... I framed myself."

Tommy ignored Jeff's words and continued: "Martin behaved too much like an enforcer who was instructed to deliberately frame you. The three black candidates will not miss this opportunity. They all know that they definitely did not do this. Therefore, they will doubt the other two opponents, and even try their best to pour such dirty water on the opponent's head, because if some stains on the opponent are found and quickly amplified during the election, it will obviously be very helpful for them to win over black supporters, and it will also That is to say, the three black men will go to Martin, hoping to get the so-called truth. They will observe Martin's subsequent actions, and may even find someone to contact him, and they will not hesitate to offer him benefits and replace him with attacking his other two opponents. .”

"Why do you do this? Isn't it fair for everyone to compete? Why do you want those three black men to fight each other?" Jeff looked confused when he heard this: "The truth is obviously that none of the three of them have had contact with Martin."

"No one wants to believe this truth. Even if Martin says it like this, the black people won't believe it, because they need another truth, that is, it must be the opponent who asked Martin to do it." Tommy looked at Jeff: "Don't worry, Martin will not frame anyone."

Jeff breathed a sigh of relief at Tommy's reassurance.

"Martin will not name anyone. He will bear all the charges including stealing Trojan and slandering you alone. And you must stand up generously, forgive him, issue a letter of understanding, and not hold him accountable. Legal liability, and, most importantly, you continue to employ him as your campaign manager in the name of heavy electoral workload." Tommy turned and looked at Jeff.

Jeff had tried hard to keep up with Tommy's thinking, but unfortunately, he couldn't figure out why Tommy had to go around and do such a thing: "I don't understand, Martin was the campaign manager before, you got it It’s so complicated and it doesn’t seem to have changed, so why do all this?”

"Martin has been unwilling to tell the story about the non-existent mastermind. The three black candidates have always enjoyed this kind of doubt, and because they firmly believe that they have not done it, they will try to use this kind of thing to attack other people. Two, because Martin would rather risk going to jail for slander than tell the man behind the scenes, so everyone feels that Martin is a very loyal subordinate to that person." Tommy said to Jeff:

"He refused to betray that person, even if that person did not guarantee his release, he did not confess the other party. Even if you rushed there in person to issue a letter of understanding to forgive him, he refused to betray the other party, but he could be moved by your kindness. He took the initiative and hoped to continue to be your campaign manager. Therefore, he will serve you wholeheartedly in the future. It will also be convenient for him to accompany you, a white man, to the black area to win support. Black people who have watched this scene from beginning to end You will feel that Martin is not wrong. He was loyal to the man behind the scenes and would rather be accused than keep that person's name. But if you choose to forgive him, black people will also understand why Martin took you, a white man, to the black community to canvass votes, because Martin This black man has the virtue of loyalty, Martin is repaying your kindness, you are a white man who treats black people with kindness in return for evil."

"Why should I go to the black area...and, can we pick up Martin now?" Jeff had completely given up thinking and asked Tommy.

Tommy shook his head: "No, you have to go to Costco first, and as Martin's friend, compensate him for the supermarket's losses, in exchange for the supermarket issuing a letter of understanding to Martin, under the witness of cameras and reporters."

…

Martin sat in the interrogation room of the Miami Police Department's Upper East Precinct, with his eyes through the open blinds, nervously watching the officers wearing the Miami Police Department's unique blue uniforms walking through the corridor.

He had been sitting in a police station for seven hours, in what he considered the most dangerous police station.

There are two police departments in Miami that do not belong to each other. One is the Miami Police Department that brought him back at this time, referred to as MPD. The police uniforms are blue, and the other is the Miami-Dade County Police Department, referred to as MDPD. The police officers The uniform is brown.

Martin didn't know the significance of the existence of two police stations in Miami, but he knew one thing. The MPD that brought him back at this moment was notorious in Miami and was notoriously unfriendly to black people. Their best skill was shooting unarmed black people. The deceased was then falsely accused of posing a fatal threat to the police.

Little Haiti in North Miami and Liberty City, the two major black gathering places, have never been afraid of MDPD police officers in brown uniforms handling cases because their law enforcement methods are relatively mild. However, black people in both communities are wary of the presence of MPD.

The year before he went to Los Angeles to make his fortune, there was a big scene in the Miami Police Department where all three elite departments, the full-time SWAT team, the helicopter team, and the anti-gang task force, were mobilized to catch two black car thieves from Little Haiti.

Two car thieves who just stole a second-hand Ford Mercury worth at most $700 were killed by three snipers from three MPD departments. Their death was worse than President Kennedy. The two car thieves may have died. They all couldn't understand why he could enjoy a higher standard of death than Kennedy if he just stole a car.

The same question as the car thief was about an unlucky black drug dealer in Little Haiti that day. The drug dealer thought the police were coming to arrest him, so he felt desperate and took the initiative to draw a gun and prepare to fight his way out, so the black people in Little Haiti witnessed it with their own eyes. How heavy police fire can turn a living person into a puddle of foam in just ten seconds.

I don’t know if the MPD was trying to stimulate the black people in Little Haiti. Most of the police officers in the operation that day were black, especially the police officers who fired the shots. They were all black. Those black people won awards from the police force for killing their own compatriots. This made many black people in Little Haiti very dissatisfied with the black police officers of the MPD, but they had no choice but to pray that they would not provoke the MPD when trying to make a living, because they never showed mercy when killing black people.

Just as Martin was sitting there killing time, Fitz, the old policeman who brought him back, opened the door and walked in from the outside. Holding a cup of steaming coffee in his hand, he sat across from the interrogation table and looked at Martin: "Are you sure? Don't call a lawyer, or your family, or the person who set you up to frame Jeff, to take you away? The items you stole were worth seven dollars. This is not a felony, and the bail is very low. You should report to the supermarket as soon as possible after you get out. If you pay up the debt and apologize, it should be easy to get a letter of understanding from the other party, but if you stay here and enjoy the free air conditioning of the police station, Costco and Jeff will arrange a lawyer for your apology and defamation during this time. File a complaint and you'll be in big trouble."

"I have nothing to say, officer. It was Jeff who ordered me to steal and then write letters to his neighbors." Martin took a deep breath and continued: "Jeff is actually very insidious. What you see is all his Disguise, who else knows his true face better than me, the campaign manager? I know him better than his wife, and he is the real mastermind behind all this."

"His purpose in planning all this is to offend all the neighbors he has known for many years? To gain the support of black people and Cubans?" Fitz took a sip of coffee and looked at Martin dissatisfied: "You'd better tell the truth about who instigated you The person who framed Jeff, confess everything, so that you can gain Jeff's understanding for framed him, and I am personally very curious, which black candidate came up with such a stupid frame-up method, they should frame him Candidates who have a better chance of being elected, rather than... frame Jeff whose chances of being elected are infinitely close to zero."

Martin scratched his face and avoided Fitz's gaze in embarrassment: "I got the name wrong, no... I mean, I didn't expect Jeff's support to be zero."

"So, someone instigated you, right? You were supposed to frame another person, but for some reason, the victim became poor Jeff." Fitz had an expression that I had guessed a long time ago: "I I don’t care about politics, but if you want to gain Jeff’s understanding, you must tell the truth and explain who made you do all this.”

"Jeff LaVine instigated me. He framed himself to gain sympathy." Martin was silent for a moment, looked at Fitz and said seriously.

"If he had such a mind, he would not have the naive idea of ​​going to Washington to tell all Americans that he is a fool." Fitz emphasized: "And if you insist on continuing to talk nonsense, the recorder will record all your words Come down, these words will be formed into words, and submitted to the court as evidence for your defamation of Jeff LaVine. It doesn’t matter to me, sitting in the car or here, it doesn’t affect me drinking coffee, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, a policeman outside opened the door, poked his head in and said to him: "Fitz~~ Jeff LaVine came to take him away, and... also brought him a letter signed in his own name and a copy of Good Market Mostly a letter of understanding issued by Martin Hart.”

Fitz was stunned for a moment, then looked at his companion: "No! This black man is still insisting that Jeff ordered him to steal and write letters to humiliate the neighbors. He does not deserve the forgiveness of that kind fool Jeff!"

"Jeff insists. The Sheriff has agreed and he can leave now." The companion added.

Fitz looked at Martin and lowered his voice: "Get out of the Upper East Side, go back to your little Haiti, and don't show up in my jurisdiction. If you let me know that you still want to cause trouble for Jeff, I will let the dogs from the police dog team Bite your balls off, nigger, and you can go.”

Martin stood up and moved his numb waist: "Jeff is very insidious, officer. He did this on purpose. He wanted to show his magnanimity. That's what he ordered me to do."