America: From a Fallen Child Star to the Head of the University of the West

Chapter 109 How Long This Night Is

On the way back, Sean remained quiet.

"Sean," Rachel looked at him several times before finally speaking, "what are you thinking about?"

“I’m thinking about a lot of things, Ray,” Sean said. “I’m thinking about Travis’s sister, about Maria’s land trust proposal, about the redistricting issue that James was talking about.”

To be honest, he had absolutely no way to help Travis solve his problems, but at least he got his own attention compared to those who needed help more.

This is what completely distinguishes him from the silent majority.

Due to its community history and electoral boundary issues, Watts became a silent majority after becoming a safe haven for the Democratic Party.

This world is largely distributed according to who makes the most noise.

Just like in elections, some constituencies are willing to cause trouble, so they can get more resources. As for those constituencies that are not willing to cause trouble, they are either strongholds of a certain political party, or they are dilapidated places with no value for united front work, or they are constituencies where honest people are concentrated.

Most Hispanics, or Latinos in general, actually play this role in American society, but one day they will reach their breaking point; even honest people will resort to unscrupulous means when pushed to the limit. Just like Travis, who had been holding back for so many years, he finally decided to cause trouble at the community center.

And it just so happened that he ran into himself.

Today's events have taught him that Latin Americans will undoubtedly become a significant force in this year's election.

Sean stopped his wandering thoughts and turned to Rachel: "You know what, Rachel, I think we should also add some political elements to some economic issues."

Rachel nodded. "Sometimes. Without political reform, there can be no real economic reform. For example, redistricting..."

Voting rights, primary election system —

“But we have limited time,” Sean interrupted her. “The primaries start in June, and it’s April now. In two months, we need to collect enough signatures in California to get my name on the ballot. At the same time, we need to deal with Crane’s lawsuit, refine our policies, build our team, and raise funds—”

He rubbed his temples. "You know what. I think we're trying to do too much."

"But you won't stop, right?" Rachel looked at him with a sudden hesitation.

Sean paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course not. It's just that we all need a smarter strategy."

He took out his phone and dialed Kelly's number.

"Kelly, things are over in Watts District—you know, it was a bit complicated today, but very fruitful."

"Oh? So you're ready to march into Ukraine's stronghold?" the old man on the other end of the phone said jokingly.

"Not yet. We need to hold a team meeting as soon as possible to reassess our strategy."

"Oh, okay—" Kelly asked on the other end of the phone, "So, what exactly happened?"

Sean looked out the window at the street scene rushing by. "I ran into a guy whose sister was beaten to death by the police."

"Ah, that's really—"

"You know what, it suddenly occurred to me—are there similar stories in Harris Crane's district? He served as a senator for twenty years; how many people like Travis are there in his district? How many families have been let down by the system?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"What are you thinking about?" Kelly asked.

“I’m thinking the ‘badger hunt’ might need some adjustments,” Sean said. “It’s not just about Chucklin’s legal issues; it’s about examining his district service record. What has he really done for ordinary people in his district over the past twenty years? Especially in impoverished and minority communities.”

Kelly's voice turned serious: "This is a sensitive topic. If we attack a senator's district service record, it's tantamount to directly challenging his political foundation. This will provoke a strong backlash, and besides, these people aren't necessarily Republicans anyway; they're not important to Crane—"

They originally only intended to manipulate things through journalism and media studies; they didn't intend to launch a direct attack.

"But it's very important to us!"

"That's true, but you know what? It's not as simple as you think," Kelly said, drawing on his experience.

“I know,” Sean laughed. “So we need to be very careful and have to base our decisions on facts. But wouldn’t it be great if we could find ten or twenty stories like Travis’s?”

"Think about it, in the constituencies of Kran, the voters' problems are ignored, their demands are dismissed, their tragedies are forgotten—if we could tell these stories, what has Kran done besides prosecuting political newcomers—"

"You say these people might not vote for Crane, but does that mean they deserve to be treated this way just because they don't vote?" Sean said slyly.

Although he believes that power is only accountable to its source in a certain sense, what will the vast majority of voters think? This statement is too elitist and too politically incorrect.

And since all citizens pay taxes, do they not contribute anything? Do citizens stop paying taxes just because Hitler came to power? Then why say they aren't the source of power?

Besides, hitchhiking is human nature! And even if such a statement is true, it's still not pleasant to hear.

Especially as an independent candidate who tries to transcend left and right and unite the majority as a facade, Sean Penn absolutely cannot allow himself to say such nonsense in the face of public condemnation.

But that doesn't mean he can't use that to intimidate people!

There was a moment's hesitation on the other end of the phone.

"—Okay, this will be powerful," Kelly finally admitted, "but it's also difficult. Gathering these stories takes time, it requires going deep into the community, and it requires gaining the trust of the victims. And we have to make sure all the facts can be verified, otherwise it will be labeled as arbitrary smear campaigns."

"So we need to start planning tonight," Sean said. "Get everyone together. I need Matthew and Liam back too; they're visiting some academics, right? I think there might be other opportunities."

"You should know they're talking to a professor who supports the Green Party," Kelly said. "This could involve issues of political alliances."

"I know, Rachel told me, but—" Sean frowned. "The alliance? It's too early to talk about that. Let's wait until they get back."

“Okay, I’ll continue talking to Carter about some—” Kelly paused, “legal matters.”

He then hung up the phone, and afterwards, Sean looked at Rachel: "What do you think, Rachel? Was I too radical?"

Rachel thought for a moment: "Radical? Maybe. But I think what we saw in Watts today makes us realize that this campaign can't just be about rhetoric. It has to touch real people: that's the real issue."

As a journalist, that's her opinion.

“That’s right.” Sean continued, “Politics is not an abstract struggle of ideas, nor is it just a grand narrative.”

Politics concerns people's daily lives: whether they can afford rent, find work, walk safely on the street, and trust the police and the justice system.

Even as a self-proclaimed hype magnet, that's what he thinks.

The car drove into Pasadena. The afternoon sun slanted across the street, bathing everything in a golden glow.

Sean suddenly remembered something: "Right, we also need to tell Carter that we need him to assess Travis's case as soon as possible. If it's feasible, is it legal for us to provide legal support as a team, with the costs coming from campaign funds? If not—"

He gritted his teeth. "I'll pay for it myself."

There's nothing wrong with spending a little money to show your supporters your philanthropy.

"The boss is generous," Rachel clapped her hands expressionlessly. "How about a raise?"

"Talking about money can hurt feelings; I just want to know if this violates the law?"

“This…this might require consulting election law,” Rachel frowned slightly, “but if it’s for ‘community service’ or ‘voter assistance’ projects, there might be room for maneuver. Mr. Carter is a professional; he should know.”

"Okay." Sean looked out the window at the increasingly familiar street scene. "Tonight is going to be long."

“Which night isn’t long, Sean?” Rachel suddenly said. “I was thinking about the night you suddenly called me. It was the second time we talked on the phone. You mentioned the list to me. I didn’t sleep a wink that night. I thought I would get ahead at the newspaper because of this. But now I’m stuck here as a dependent.”

, 7

"Before, I led you to fight Harris Crane, and now I'm leading you to fight Harris Crane again!" Sean swung his arm. "Don't worry, Rachel, once I become president, I'll appoint you—I'll appoint you as White House Press Secretary! Then you can go back to the Los Angeles Times, show off your power, and slap people in the face!"

"Tch, I'm not eating your pancake!" Rachel gave him a disdainful look, then closed her eyes and stood by for the moment.