adbindia Chapter 309 - 151: Who Is Opposing Made in America?
Chapter 309 - 151: Who Is Opposing Made in America?
Leo sat before the microphone, watching the silent images on the screen.
He didn’t need a script. This rage was already in his chest; all he had to do was open his mouth, and it would come pouring out on its own.
"Start recording."
Leo spoke into the microphone, his voice low and suppressed.
"This is Pennsylvania today."
"In Erie, our factories have shut down. Thousands of tons of high-quality steel, freshly produced, are locked away in a warehouse, left to rust."
"In Pittsburgh, our construction sites have ground to a halt. Hundreds of workers stand by with their tools, but no materials are coming."
"Why?"
"Is it because we’ve done something wrong? Is it because we bought substandard products?"
"No."
"It’s because we’ve committed a crime."
"We tried to use money from Pittsburgh to buy steel produced in Erie."
"We tried to use Pennsylvanians’ own money to support Pennsylvania’s own workers."
"In the eyes of that Vice Governor in Harrisburg, this is a violation."
"In the eyes of the bureaucrats at the State Auditing Bureau, this warrants a severe crackdown."
On the screen, the image froze on the steel bound by official seals.
Leo’s voice grew sharp.
"Vice Governor Aston Monroe sits in his climate-controlled office."
"With a flick of his finger, he casually signs a cold, heartless freeze order."
"He tells us it’s to ensure compliance."
"I’d like to ask Mr. Monroe a question."
"While you’re sipping your red wine, do you have any idea that because of your ’compliance,’ the warehouses in Erie are filled with goods that can’t be sold?"
"Do you have any idea that because of your audit, truck drivers in Scranton can’t make their truck payments?"
"Do you have any idea that thousands of families will have nothing to eat this weekend?"
"What are you auditing?"
"Are you auditing us for refusing to buy that cheap, foreign steel?"
"Are you auditing us for insisting on keeping jobs in Pennsylvania?"
"Are you serving the people of Pennsylvania, or are you serving those Wall Street importers who can’t wait to move every single factory overseas?"
This was a damning accusation.
Leo had directly equated Monroe with "overseas interest groups" and "Wall Street."
In the Rust Belt, those two terms were the foulest of curses.
At the end of the video, the screen went black.
A line of white text faded in, sharp as if carved with a knife.
"We want jobs."
"We want American-made."
"Monroe, get your hands off."
The video edit was complete.
Sarah stared at the screen, her palms slick with sweat.
"Leo, if this video goes out, we’ll be completely burning our bridges with the State Government."
Sarah was worried.
"This accusation is too severe. We have no proof that he’s colluding with importers."
"We don’t need proof."
Leo stood up and took the mouse.
"As long as the logic adds up, that’s proof enough."
"People don’t need to see a court verdict. They just need to see the official seals, to see the closed factories."
"That’s all it takes."
Leo clicked the "Publish" button.
The video, titled "Who’s Against ’Made in America’?", was instantly pushed to the phones of hundreds of thousands of subscribers through the "Pittsburgh Heart" account.
It was like a smoldering lump of coal thrown into a dry powder keg.
Minutes later, the number of shares began to explode.
All that anger now had a common outlet.
"Monroe, get out of Pennsylvania!"
"That’s a Philly scumbag for you! They can’t stand to see us live a good life on our own!"
"He’s murdering our industry!"
"Anyone who dares stand in the way of American manufacturing is our enemy!"
This wave of fury spread eastward along the network lines.
It crossed the Allegheny Mountains, surging toward Harrisburg.
Leo stood in his office, gazing out at the night.
He had exploited populism to brand Aston Monroe.
A brand that labeled him "anti-industry," "anti-worker," and "anti-American."
And in the Rust Belt, an accusation like that was often a conviction without a trial.