America 1982.

Chapter 276 Bombshell
Ileana Letty and Jeff Lavine were the top contenders in the two parties' primaries, and their first televised debate was full of tension.

The host in the audience gave the theme of tonight's TV debate, and it was no surprise: race relations in the 18th constituency.

After all, District 18 is about to be split, and the Cuban Americans in this district are in a panic because of the old soldiers who came from all over Florida to support Jeff.

Just a few days before the debate, more than a hundred veterans drove to Little Havana in the South District, which had nothing to do with the 18th District, every day, holding American flags, waving campaign banners with Jeff Lavine's portrait, and shouting Jeff Lavine's campaign slogans as they walked through the streets. However, this time, no Cubans tried to beat up these one hundred veterans like they did to Martin's brothers.

Because the veterans had hunting rifles on their cars and the excited and fanatical expressions on their faces made it look like they were waiting for the Cubans to come forward and cause trouble so that they would have the opportunity to shoot and kill in self-defense.

Add to that the large police convoy sent by the Miami Police Department behind the motorcade and the police helicopters hovering overhead, and it can only be said that the tourism revenue of the residents of Little Havana has plummeted in the past few days.

The PBS host looked at Ileana Letty and asked, "Ms. Letty, why do you think you are a better choice for the people of this district than your opponent on how to deal with race relations in District 18?"

Ileana-Leidi was wearing a bright red uniform dress. When the host invited her to answer the question first, she smiled and adjusted the microphone in front of her, then spoke calmly:
"Thank you, host, and thank you to all the audience tonight, as well as my opponent, Mr. Jeff Lavine. Regarding this issue, I want to say that I am a person of color. I am of Cuban descent. Because I am a person of color, I have encountered discrimination from white people. Because I am a Cuban immigrant, I have been humiliated by white people. I understand the hardships suffered by Cubans, Hispanics, Latinos, and blacks in this district. I have experienced it myself. I stand up to run for election to completely eliminate racial discrimination, an American evil, in the 18th District. I want to become the first Cuban-American female congressman in this district. I want all people of color to be I don't think it's a very difficult choice for voters in this district to choose between me and Jeff Lavine. Who can understand the pain of racial discrimination you have suffered? Who can make various plans, policies and actions for this? Of course, it's me. It's impossible for Jeff Lavine, as a white man, to tell you that he understands the pain of racial discrimination. I hope that I can win your support in this election and make the 18th District truly equal and free. Thank you. "

These words were spoken in a relatively safe manner, without any attack or sarcasm. They mainly expressed his position based on the first question, that is, he would only regard people of color as his main supporters in the 18th district. Of course, this was mainly to attract votes from the Cuban supporters of Rona Kennedy, who was still holding on to the Democratic Party but had no chance of winning.

Moreover, the President had flown in specially to support her and attended campaign rallies with her. Seeing how popular she was, many Cubans who had previously supported Rona turned to support her.

After all, for most ordinary Cuban Americans, party affiliation is not important to them. What is important is that a compatriot is elected.

The host then looked at Jeff Lavin, who was wearing camouflage, and asked, "Mr. Jeff Lavin, regarding the issue of how to deal with race relations in District 18, why do you think you are a better choice for the people of this district than your opponent? What do you think of Ms. Letty's remarks on this issue?"

"Because Cubans like white people to manage them, I have no choice but to stand up and run for election. This is the answer." Jeff Lavine didn't even look at his opponent, and kept looking at the camera with a stern face:
"Countless Cubans sneaked into the United States. Is it because the American people elected a Cuban as president? Of course not, because they might as well stay in Cuba and look at Castro's face. They do it because they envy the countless miracles created by the great Americans on this land. Just now, Ms. Ileana-Letty said that she encountered racial discrimination and various injuries in the United States. She was in tears and I almost cried. I really want to comfort her. America is so bad, why don't you go back to Cuba? I can personally pay for your ticket back to Cuba!"

"The same goes for other Cuban immigrants. If America is really as bad as you say, full of racial discrimination, violence, ***, ****... all kinds of unbearable things, why don't you go back to your real homeland? Why don't you build it with your own hands and make it as great as America? You may say that it's because Castro is cruel and vicious, etc. Well, let me tell you, when we faced the same problem on this land, what did we do? We declared independence, overthrew the brutal rule of Britain, and we did it!"

"Ms. Ileana Letty is of course an excellent woman. The multiple-choice question she just mentioned is very good. A white American whose ancestors have settled here for generations and whose father and son have fought for the country for two generations, and a Cuban-American woman who fled to the United States in 1969 because she was afraid of death and did not dare to overthrow Castro, who should be chosen to change the th District? For all voters, it is not a difficult problem. Let me put it this way. If a war breaks out in the United States, you can always believe that Jeff Lavine will definitely be the first veteran to return to the battlefield in the th District. As for the other one, she may have already chosen her next beloved motherland. Thank you, everyone, thank you host, I'm done."

The whole audience was silent, and even the host was stunned for two seconds before coming back to his senses.

Compared to Ilyana's calmness, Jeff LaVine was completely ungentlemanly. He attacked the other side at the beginning for not loving America at all, and completely excluded Cubans from the American population. He asked them why they didn't go back to build their own country if they disliked the various shortcomings of America, but instead came here to accept discrimination.

But it must be said that this sentence is very lethal. At this time, many ordinary voters who watched this TV debate on TV, especially those with low education, were instantly brainwashed by this question. These Cubans who came to the United States did not even have the courage to make changes for their own country. Will they have the courage and ability to change America? "Ms. Letty, do you want to respond to Mr. Jeff Lavine's words?" The host looked at Ileana Letty and asked.

Ileana Letty's face did not change color because of Jeff Lavin's words that tried to anger her. On the contrary, she still maintained an elegant smile. After hearing the host's question, she leaned close to the microphone and said, "Thank you Mr. Jeff Lavin for telling me a joke, that is, cowards, weak people, and women who are afraid of war, blood, and killing should not exist in America. Even if they abide by the law and pay taxes in America, they can only endure the discrimination silently and cannot resist, just because we are outsiders. Therefore, only soldiers, warriors, and strong people can survive in this land? America is a great country. This country has always advocated equality, but now, Mr. Jeff Lavin tells us that without equality, people of color and immigrants should bear discrimination."

"I think after hearing his words, voters should have the answer in their hearts: should they choose me, a female candidate of color who is willing to promote equality and make America continue to be great, or choose Castro, a white man who is arrogant and will turn America into another Cuba?"

The host looked at Jeff Lavine and said, "Second question, Mr. Jeff Lavine, your campaign slogan, Say No to Cubans, and your supporters' rallies in this district have made Cuban voters in this district very uneasy. You have already divided the voters before you are elected. Once you are elected, voters in this district are worried that the situation will only get worse. Do you have anything to say to voters in this district?"

"It won't divide, it won't deteriorate, because after I'm elected, either the Cuban illegal immigrants completely forget their motherland and obediently abide by the law in the refugee camps in the 18th District, or I will drive them back to their homeland. This is the 18th District of Miami, America, not the Cuban District. I know that after I say this, there will be politicians who will stand up and criticize me tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. It doesn't matter, just do it, because I will fight back. Do you know how to fight back? I will join forces with the Miami Police Department and a large number of volunteer vigilantes to arrest all the illegal immigrants in the 18th District and send them to the jurisdiction of those who criticize me, giving them the opportunity to show sympathy. I can't wait, and so can the volunteer vigilantes." Jeff Lavine did not deny the trouble caused to Cuban voters in the district by his campaign slogan. Instead, he generously admitted it and looked directly into the camera, intimidating potential Republican politicians who were ready to seize his radical remarks to criticize him and reduce his presence.

If you dare to criticize me, my veteran volunteers will start catching illegal Cuban immigrants all over the world tomorrow and send them to your jurisdiction. It is uncertain whether I can be elected, but your opponents will be grinning from ear to ear when they see that there are countless excuses for instability in your jurisdiction to criticize you.

In short, they hurt each other.

Maybe Jeff LaVine doesn't have the ability to get elected, but he definitely has the ability to get you out of your position.

In the TV director's office on the second floor, Martin wore a communicator and read the manuscript to Jeff, then looked at Tommy by the window and said, "Boss, aren't the answers you prepared a bit too exaggerated? I think the words are so intense that you're just short of directly declaring that all illegal Cuban immigrants are terrorists. Although I haven't been doing this job for that long, my experience with other election cases tells me that non-Cubans will not support Jeff just because of his remarks that deliberately divide Cubans. Instead, they will choose to support Cuban women because they are worried that he is too extreme. We should have a sensational auxiliary campaign action off the field to make everyone accept Jeff's remarks."

Tommy turned his head, looked at Martin, and smiled. "The experience you gained is correct. Off-field activities are indeed necessary, Martin. It's just that we are not responsible for it. As a deal, David Kennedy is responsible for providing off-field support during the campaign."

"What kind of off-site support? The police department cracking a major criminal case involving illegal Cuban immigrants?" Martin thought for a few seconds and then asked.

In case materials of other election campaigns, off-site support involving racial issues is basically designed in this way. For example, when blacks and whites are running for election, the black candidate has finally won the sympathy of the whites, and the whites will then plan a major vicious incident against blacks off-site, like pouring a bucket of ice water on the heads of those white voters, making them take back their sympathy for blacks. As the sympathy disappears, the votes that were originally intended to be cast for blacks will also disappear.

"I don't know what kind of support it is. He didn't tell me. I'm as ignorant about it as you are and full of expectations." Tommy lit a cigarette and said to Martin seriously.

Martin listened to the debate questions: "Ilya began to attack Jeff's brutality, saying that he had no idea what equality meant to America."

Tommy said, "The answer starts on the seventh line of the second page. Let Jeff ask her, if she understands equality, if she really loves all people, why does her private school only accept children from rich people, and why does it not accept Cuban children unequally. But the names on the eleventh line are not allowed to be mentioned for now. They must be left until the final free debate. That is the bombshell I am going to use to bombard non-Cuban voters in front of the TV."

(End of this chapter)