Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 288 Zheng Yi: I, a progressive

At the party, people were still toasting each other.

This is how the political game works in the United States. Every year, there are always a few times when everyone is called to Washington, D.C. for such gatherings. No matter what the reason for the gathering is, most of the time, changes in the political landscape and even the formulation of national policies are determined in such gatherings.

Zheng Yi is new here, and strictly speaking he is not a politician, but rather a celebrity. Therefore, his main task today is to recognize people, and most Republican politicians are very enthusiastic about him, and even most of the middle-aged generation are trying to please him.

Because everyone knows that Zheng Yi is qualified to be a faction leader in American politics, but he lacks a trustworthy political agent.

For example, John Jr.’s agent in the Rockefeller faction was Nelson Rockefeller, and through Nelson’s network of relationships, he was able to get bigwigs like Dewey, Eisen, Nick S, Kissinger and others in history to serve the interests of the faction.

This is definitely not a relationship between a mastermind and a puppet, but more of a cooperation. In fact, most factions of the two parties have fixed financial backers behind them.

The rules of American politics have been the same for at least a few decades since World War II: politicians are constantly being wooed by big capital, causing public dissatisfaction, and then they start voting for newcomers, winning people's victories. Then the newcomers are wooed and become old-timers, until people can no longer tolerate it and vote for newcomers again. After a few years, the newcomers are wooed by capital and become old-timers.

Zheng Yi himself represents capital, and unlike little John, he does not have a son who can enter politics (later facts proved that this was a bad move, and the people did not like big capital to come to the forefront). Therefore, Zheng Yi is now looking for partners, and it is also the time when countless young people in the political arena take the initiative to come to him and begin to fall.

In less than half an hour, more than a dozen young rookies came up to him and asked for cooperation and sponsorship. Zheng Yi accepted their business cards one by one without explicitly refusing them.

"Hello, Mr. Zheng, let me introduce myself. I am a congressman from California. My name is Richard Milhouse, Ni K Song."

When another rookie came over to hand over his business card, Zheng Yi took it with a smile and was about to exchange a few simple pleasantries as usual. After a while, he suddenly froze: "Ni K Song?"

"Has Mr. Zheng heard of me?"

"I think... I've heard of it. I'm only a year or two older than you, so we can call each other brothers. You're so young, little Ni... even in the Democratic Party, there aren't many congressmen younger than you, right? Ever since I came to America, I've been hanging out with those old, old Dengs all day long. It's really annoying."

The Republican Party is different from the Democratic Party. Generally speaking, even among political families, there are very few congressmen in their early thirties. Nick Sung is indeed the youngest and most promising super rookie in the Republican Party of this era.

"What do you think of globalization?" Zheng Yi asked.

Ni Ksong: "Globalization is undoubtedly a good thing for the United States, but the United States itself also needs to balance the problems brought about by globalization, such as respect for the human rights of ethnic minorities and... uh, the spread of evil ideas within the United States."

Zheng Yi: "Xiao Ni, do you think Los Angeles has the potential to become a global city?"

Ni Ksong: "Oh~, at least on the West Coast, it should be undoubtedly the most important city."

Zheng Yi: "I believe that if a city can accommodate a large number of people of color, or minorities in the United States, with the greatest degree of tolerance, it should also be very tolerant of a wide range of cultures from other regions, right?"

"I personally don't deny that some ideas will have a certain impact on American society, but whether they are evil or not, I don't think we can simply look at them from the perspective of the American white elite, right?"

"To be honest, I actually share many similar views with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. I also believe that the United States must exert its global influence at this time. However, whether we still need allies, or who should be our allies, I am afraid there are still big differences."

Ni Ksong: "Oh, of course. I've roughly understood Mr. Zheng's views. I have to say that your views are...very correct. I absolutely support your views."

Zheng Yi: "I might be visiting Los Angeles in a few days. If you don't mind, could you spare some time to be my tour guide?"

Ni Ksong: "Oh, of course, of course. I think it's my honor. I'm happy to be able to serve you."

Zheng Yi: "I think we can become very good friends. When I get to Los Angeles, I'll treat you to a drink."

In this situation, it was not convenient for Zheng Yi to say too much to a young player alone. In fact, it was enough to just get the point across. Anyway, Zheng Yi would really go to Los Angeles in a few days, so he could tell him if there was anything at that time.

In fact, there was no need to test Ni Ksong's political inclinations at all. After meeting him, Zheng Yi had basically decided to support this young player as his agent.

Nick is the president in American history who has the smoothest transformation of political attitudes and political factions. His so-called political attitude is as good as fart. He is also the epitome of Rockefeller politicians in history.

During this period, he was a progressive Republican, but a few years later he became a conservative, and after becoming president, he was simply a Rockefeller.

Simply put, this kind of person is a chameleon. He will choose whatever political tendency is beneficial to him and change it at any time. His political inclinations are completely different when he is a senator and when he is a congressman. When he is vice president and when he is president, his policies are almost 180 degrees opposite. His policies are completely different during the campaign and after he takes office.

In fact, Zheng Yi really thinks that only this kind of people are qualified politicians. After all, politics should not be static, especially in international diplomatic occasions. There are not so many political attitudes. We should do whatever is in line with national interests.

A good politician should be like a scumbag and a green tea.

However, it seems that the United States has never had such a politician after Ni, and Ni’s reputation in the United States is not very good. They really don’t like people who change their minds.

To be honest, Zheng Yi is really willing to cooperate with people like him. As long as he can provide benefits to such people, such people can provide him with political resources, and everyone can cooperate happily. When their interests become different, they can turn against each other, and there is nothing to regret.

Zheng Yi even does not rule out the possibility of establishing his real roots in the United States in Los Angeles.

After all, the Rockefeller family is too powerful in New York. Although it is definitely a branch of the Southern Alliance, it is not necessarily a branch of Zheng Yi. Chicago is likely to fall into the hands of the Democratic Party in the next few years, and this place is mostly blue during this period. In comparison, Los Angeles may be more suitable for investment than New York.

During this period, Ni was still a progressive, and almost everyone in California was progressive. This was also the faction that Zheng Yi wanted to win over, otherwise he would not have deliberately tried to please black people.

As for Ni Ksong's ability, there is no need to mention it. Zheng Yi even thinks that he is one of the very few people in the United States who can be called a politician after World War II.

"Mr. Zheng, we meet again."

Zheng Yi turned around and saw Dewey walking towards him with his running mate.

"Hello, Mr. Dewey."

"Let me introduce you to my partner, Earl Warren, the governor of California, who will be the vice president next year."

Earl Warren also took the initiative to extend his hand and said, "Hello, Mr. Zheng, I just saw that you and Xiao Ni seemed to be chatting happily. You are welcome to visit Los Angeles when you are free."

Zheng Yi: "Of course, of course. I just told Xiao Ni to be my guide and show me around. I'll definitely come visit you then."

Objectively speaking, Zheng Yizhen actually thinks that Warren is more suitable to run for election next year than Dewey. If these two people can switch positions next year, with Dewey as the assistant and Warren as the boss, the Republican Party may have a better chance of winning next year.

Because Warren is very handsome, a very elegant and graceful man, while Dewey is indeed a little less good-looking, or to put it in a nice way, he is not good-looking.

To put it bluntly, there were no specific requirements for appearance in previous US presidential elections. With a little adjustment and some technical skills, you could always make yourself look handsome in the photo, and there weren't that many speeches. But this time, things are actually very different.

Dewey said, "Mr. Zheng, I heard that you've been doing a lot of things for black people and minorities in New York these days. Mr. Zheng, you're quite progressive, too."

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "Am I not also a minority in the United States? Naturally, I must also care about the rights of minorities. Since the United States wants to become a global empire, it must ensure the basic rights of minorities from all over the world at home."

"And it's not just about ethnic minorities. I believe the US and the UK provide human rights protections for voters in more areas, including gender equality. I also believe that large companies should, and rightly, shoulder more social responsibilities, and implementing a social insurance system is essential."

Dewey was slightly surprised and said, "Mr. Zheng, you are much more radical than I thought."

On the side, Warren couldn't help but light up her eyes, because it was obvious that what Zheng Yi said were the political propositions of their progressive faction.

Even if Zheng Yi is deeply involved in American politics, his focus will definitely be on overseas. In terms of domestic affairs, Warren used to only know that he and the Rockefeller faction were natural allies, but now it seems that the two of them are good comrades.

"Radical? I don't think I'm being radical, but rather that's what should be done. Mr. Du, our Republican Party, after all, originated from the movement to emancipate the slaves. We are an industrial party, and industry needs civilization to support it." "In my opinion, among the current social issues in the United States, the rights of minorities, especially Black people, have clearly become a top priority. But it seems that Mr. Du has not yet expressed his position on this."

"The first batch of Japanese laborers will be arriving in New York soon. I heard from my staff that they've already found jobs. If you have no objection, Mr. Dewey, I can donate the first commission you earn. You can lead the effort to build a support center for black veterans... How about you grant me a piece of land? I can use the money to hire someone to build a dedicated community for black veterans. How about that?"

Dewey frowned slightly in displeasure when he heard this. This was already entering the real practical stage.

"Mr. Zheng, it seems you're not only interested in U.S. foreign policy, but also domestic affairs."

Zheng Yi: "Of course, domestic and foreign affairs are complementary. They can't be completely isolated. What's the matter? Does Mr. Dewey think I'm not American? Isn't it true that as long as I obtain American citizenship, I am American?"

Seeing that Dewey was still frowning and silent, Zheng Yi took the initiative to say, "Mr. Dewey, President Du is already trying to curry favor with black voters and steal our base. We have to do something. Either we steal their base, or we have to take some defensive action."

"Mr. Dewey, I may not donate this money myself. It depends on whether you dare to accept it. If you accept it, the entire donation will be made in your name. In any case, this will be a good thing for you. If you don't accept it, I can donate it in my own name, or Mr. Jacob Jarvis can do it."

Jarvis is a Republican congressman from New York, known for his civil rights movement and civil rights diplomacy. Like Warren, he belongs to the progressive wing of the party.

Zheng Yi's words were actually quite threatening, as if to imply that if you don't accept this money, I will use it to give icing on the cake to the progressives.

If Jarvis asked you, the governor, for a piece of land to build a community for black veterans, would you approve it or not?

Dewey: "Why, Mr. Zheng, do you really want me to express my opinion?"

Zheng Yi nodded. "Indeed, I really must force you to express your stance. I need to confirm whether you and I are politically on the same page, and whether I can confidently follow you. If so, I will donate money and effort without hesitation. But if Mr. Dewey and I are not on the same page, I will also need to find like-minded partners, don't you agree?"

Dewey: "Mr. Zheng, shouldn't your main interests be overseas? I don't quite understand why you're doing this."

Zheng Yi: "I believe that the United States' global governance must be different from that of the old imperialist powers of Britain and France. It needs not only global resources, markets, capital, and labor, but also global hearts and minds and talent. If we can't even guarantee the human rights of ethnic minorities at home, how can we attract global talent to serve the United States?"

Dewey thought for a moment, then smiled wryly. "Mr. Zheng, you really do give me a hard time. Honestly, I actually lean towards the progressive side. New York itself is home to a high concentration of ethnic minorities in China. Personally, I sympathize with the unfair treatment suffered by black people and other minorities."

"But Mr. Zheng, next year's election is coming up, after all. It's different from the gubernatorial election. Nationwide, equal rights for minorities, especially Black people, are extremely sensitive issues, especially in the South. Many voters are deeply opposed to this, and even within our own party, there are significant divisions on this issue."

"I need to think and evaluate whether this move will benefit or harm my election prospects. Do you understand? President Du has already made a mistake. I have no reason to make the same mistake again."

Zheng Yi was slightly disappointed when he heard this. In his opinion, Dewey's behavior was indeed a bit arrogant. If he refused to listen to him, then the possibility of changing history in next year's election would undoubtedly become extremely small.

At this moment, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have actually begun to show initial signs of exchanging voters and switching political positions. It won't be long before the United States enters a long period of party chaos. There will no longer be a distinction between blue states and red states, and the policies of the two parties will become increasingly vague until they completely turn around.

In later generations, many people may not know that the Republican Party actually started with the abolition of slavery movement, and most of the early progressives came from the Republican Party. On the contrary, the Democratic Party has always relied on old white men as its base.

The dividing line actually lies in this term, that is, with President Du.

Mr. Du is actually a racist at heart, even a white supremacist. He has let slip many times in history after his retirement, and people around him have basically confirmed it, that he is actually very exclusive towards black people in his life and work.

This time, President Trump's support for black people was actually a bit forced. In essence, it was a sudden incident. He was forced to respond as a member of the ruling party because a black World War II veteran was beaten to death by a white policeman on the street.

In fact, it was also a contradiction between national heroes and the country's lowest class of untouchables after blacks participated in World War II and fought for the United States.

No matter which choice President Du makes, he will offend people because he has stood up to support black soldiers and is actually pushing for the abolition of racial segregation laws in the military, which has caused great dissatisfaction among Southern Democrats.

Democrats who opposed equal rights for black people simply chose to split the party at this critical moment of the election and created the State Rights Democratic Party to participate in the election together. Their main political goal was to strengthen racial segregation and even restore the slavery system.

The entire American political circle basically believes that the Democratic Party is finished. You should know that the Democratic Party has been divided once before, and that was the Progressive Party, which was split from the previous Vice President Henry Wallace because he was dissatisfied with President Trump's policies.

He advocated easing relations with the Soviet Union, comprehensively promoting social welfare, and continuing to unswervingly follow Ronaldinho's domestic and foreign policies.

Therefore, precisely because of President Du's lack of political ability, the Democratic Party has now been split into three. The left-wing Democratic Party and the right-wing Democratic Party have all defected from the party and gone their own way, leaving only President Du's centrist faction, which naturally has much less support.

This is also the reason why the Republican Party generally believes that Dewey is already secure next year. Therefore, Dewey's overall campaign strategy is very conservative.

Because he thinks he is sure to win. The more he does, the more mistakes he makes; the less he does, the fewer mistakes he makes; and if he does nothing, he makes no mistakes. As long as he does nothing, he can basically win.

Therefore, Dewey did not dare to talk about equal rights issues publicly because he was afraid that if he supported the rights of black people, he would lose the Southern vote base. This time the Democratic Party split might be an opportunity for Dewey to turn the Southern states into red states.

At the same time, he did not dare to talk about progressive issues because he was afraid of being accused of being a traitor and was afraid of provoking Wallace.

But even if you ask him to be conservative, he actually can't do it. He has big capitalists and big money behind him. He himself is the leader of the Rockefeller faction and it is impossible for him to reverse history.

They dared not openly suppress the workers' movement.

If you want to win votes from every area, you will end up doing nothing well.

Again, this was actually a campaigning method before the rise of broadcasting and tabloid media. It is no longer applicable in the new era of talent show-style elections. Instead, it will make him appear to have no political opinions and to be a fool who only knows how to talk big but has no substance.

This is also the reason why many people in later generations would abolish the American electoral system and eliminate real politicians in the first step, because a political attitude of compromising for the sake of the majority will inevitably lead to no one treating you as their own.

President Trump is the complete opposite. Because both the left and the right wings of the Democratic Party have betrayed him, he has no choice but to stick to his path. Since he no longer has any hope of winning votes from the South, he has begun to try his best to please the Northern states.

Since the Democratic Party was split because of the promotion of the abolition of racial segregation laws in the military, they simply took one step and began to push for the Civil Rights Act, a bill that will leave a significant mark in the entire history of the United States. At the same time, they also proposed the Fair Labor Standards Act, reaching directly into the pocket of the Republican Party and began to frantically please minority voters.

A sitting president traveled 3.1 kilometers and delivered 356 speeches during the campaign, mobilizing rural voters, lower-class workers, and most importantly, calling on blacks and other minorities to vote actively in order to expand his support in white states.

This split, on the contrary, eliminated all the discrimination against blacks within the Democratic Party, and this victory further strengthened the Democratic Party's future political stance of going to extremes and completely abandoning the Southern votes.

The Democratic Party, which originally supported racial segregation, suddenly transformed itself into a political party that fought for equal rights for black people.

What's even more amazing is that shortly thereafter, the Democratic Party absorbed progressives within the Republican Party, led by Warren. After all, progressives and equal rights are closely related to a large extent. Did the Democratic Party become more progressive than the Republican Party?

People like Warren have never been loyal to the Republican Party but to progress. The landmark event was that Eisen recommended Warren as the Supreme Court Justice during his time. However, Warren betrayed the increasingly conservative Republican Party when making a case and insisted on being a liberal justice, which directly broke Eisen's defense. He publicly declared that the thing he regretted most in his life was recommending Warren.

When these Republicans saw that they really couldn't win the election, they had no choice but to start absorbing a large number of Southern Democratic parties that were originally kicked out of the Democratic Party, and began to win votes from the South, turning the Republican Party into a party that absorbed votes from old white Southerners.

It can be said that it was President Trump's magical operations and upset in this election, as well as Dewey's failure, that directly determined the policy lines of the two parties for the next few decades, achieved a shift in the basic base, and generally speaking, the Democratic Party had the advantage, basically handing over the originally prosperous big cities such as New York and California to the Democratic Party, and basically determined the Cold War pattern for the next forty years.

Of course, all this is not what Zheng Yi wants to see. At least in this session, Zheng Yi sincerely hopes that Dewey can perform better.

But at the moment, Zheng Yi has no other choice. He can't force Dewey to make progress. He can only take it one step at a time. If he really doesn't come to his senses, Zheng Yi can only try his best to find a way in the House of Representatives election to prevent the Republican Party from being completely overturned.

As for domestic affairs, Zheng Yi is not in a position to interfere in other aspects, but it is not a big problem to win over some progressives.

"Mr. Warren, if Los Angeles needs to become more international, I'd be happy to invest there. Do you need Japanese workers? Los Angeles' aircraft manufacturing industry is so developed, you could consider building a supporting parts factory, or even an assembly plant, in Nanyang."

As he spoke, Zheng Yi skipped over Dewey and started a cordial conversation with Warren.

(End of this chapter)