You're a US police officer, what are you thinking about going back to the East for?

Chapter 81 The Republican Party's Efforts

"Trying to smooth things over? You don't know anything."

Grant chuckled, took a deep drag of his cigarette, the pungent smoke swirling in his lungs, and looked at his partner with an expression of utter disbelief.

"You're only listening to what he's saying, aren't you watching what he's doing?"

"The first thing I did after taking office was to throw away the speech prepared by the mayor."

"You think it was just a slip of the hand?"

Grant held out his hand, gesturing as if throwing away trash: "What color is that folder? Did you notice? Blue! What does blue mean? It means the Democratic Party!"

"That's the attitude. He's sending us a message, telling us that we're not buying into the Democrats' rhetoric."

"And as for your answer to that 'sanctimonious' question from that public radio station, think about it carefully."

"Although his mouth was full of regrets, no time, and unavoidable excuses, these are the disclaimers that Democratic leftists love to hear most."

""

"But if you strip away all that nonsense, what's the core logic?"

Grant's eyes sharpened as he mimicked Leon's tone: "I don't care about their childhood. I only saw the gun, so I fired. I'll do it again next time."

"This is the purest declaration of a right-wing hardliner!"

The young cameraman paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, slapping his thigh excitedly: "Damn! I knew it! Those rank-and-file cops are all red at heart. This kid is definitely a closeted Republican, or at least, he's an extremely pragmatic guy!"

"So how should we report this when we get back? Should we make it a huge news story?!"

The young man excitedly pulled out his phone, seemingly already having a headline in mind: "The Only Sober One: Officer Vance Calls for Tough Law Enforcement? Let these liberals see that their hero is actually a conservative!"

"If you want to push him towards liberalism and incidentally make me lose my job, then write it like this."

Grant's smile vanished instantly, and he slapped the young man on the back of the head.

"Idiot! Are you brain-dead?"

Grant, exasperated, yelled, "Where is this? Seattle! Washington State! Deep Blue's stronghold!"

"That Vance is still just a second-class patrol officer. Even if he's a hero, he's still a nobody."

"His foundation is right here. If we now label him as a Republican rebel, we're putting him on the hot seat."

"Do you believe that as soon as the news gets out, he'll go to the gay pride parade tomorrow to prove his innocence?"

"At that point, in order to keep his job, he will have no choice but to completely side with the Democratic Party and distance himself from us."

"Are you trying to hand a powerful potential ally to the enemy?"

The young man covered his head, looking aggrieved, and asked, "Then—what do we do? This won't work, that won't work, are we just going to give up?"

"Of course not."

"We need to make him feel that only Fox understands him, and that we can understand his unspoken meaning."

Grant spat out the cigarette butt in his mouth and crushed it with his shoe: "Go back and tell the editorial department not to mention party affiliation or political leanings."

"Write that he is the last tough guy, the silent guardian."

"When editing the video, downplay all his regretful and helpless ramblings."

"Focus the camera on how he fought alone in the rainy night, and how he spared no effort to protect his colleagues."

""

"We want to mold him into a partisan American tough guy."

"This is the kind of image that our audience in the red state loves the most. As for the locals in Seattle? They can't find fault with it either, after all, he really did save someone."

"Don't rush him to take sides."

"As long as he continues to solve problems with bullets, sooner or later, those overly compassionate Democrats will no longer tolerate him."

"When the time is right, or when he wants to climb the ladder, he will naturally realize that only we are his true friends."

Grant patted the car door and climbed into the passenger seat: "Let's go back and edit the footage. This kid has unlimited potential; we need to secure his place in the market now."

However, Grant, who was sitting in the broadcast van smugly, thinking he had seen through everything, would never know that his self-righteous speculation was only half right, and even that half was a lucky guess.

He felt that Lyon was a closeted Republican who was forced to lie low in a deep blue state.

But in reality, in the eyes of Leon Vance, a soul from across the ocean, these American politicians, whether they are Democrats or Republicans, are essentially a bunch of idiots.

The Democrats are a bunch of hypocritical idiots. In their view, giving free needles to addicts is humanitarian, but forcibly sending these people to rehab centers is a violation of human rights.

Their attitude toward guns made Lyon want to laugh.

They desperately restrict the use of semi-automatic rifles by law-abiding citizens, even limiting magazine capacity to five rounds, while turning a blind eye to gangsters who engage in street battle royale and cutting the budgets of the police who arrest them.

In Lyon's view, this logic of only guarding against honest people and not against scoundrels is simply a lack of brainstem.

And what about the Republicans? In Lyon's view, they are definitely not normal people either.

Their worship of guns is almost exaggerated; they wish kindergarten teachers could wear sniper rifles to class.

They preach law and order, but in reality, they subscribe to social Darwinism. If you have money, you're the boss; if you die because you can't afford medical care, it's because you didn't work hard enough, or it's God's will.

They were equally indifferent to the lives of the underprivileged communities, wishing they could just raze the slums to the ground.

Therefore, Lyon is neither a member of the Donkey Party nor the Elephant Party.

He was just a passerby.

However, this delicate stance has ironically created his unique value in united front work.

Generally speaking, in political struggles, those who are opportunistic are the first to die, because neither side trusts you, and both sides will try to eliminate you first.

But Lyon is different.

He wasn't the kind of weak, opportunistic person who fawned over both sides and dared not offend anyone.

He has the ability and the track record.

For the Democratic Party, which is on the mayor's side, if they force Lyon to rebel, it would be tantamount to admitting that their policies have completely failed.

For the Republicans on Fox News' side, Lyon is a natural ally deeply entrenched in enemy territory. If they can win him over, it will be a major slap in the face to the liberals.

Because Lyon did not take a clear side, he became a highly sought-after player by both sides.

However, if he foolishly accepts a offer from one side, such as publicly supporting the mayor or publicly endorsing the Republican Party, he will instantly lose this magic.

He would be reduced from a hero who had to be won over to a cog in the enemy's machine that could be replaced at any time.