Chapter 607 - 284: The Cooled Tea Tray

Harrisburg, in front of the State Capitol Building.

The massive granite steps, washed pale by the rain, looked especially solemn under the gloomy sky.

Leo Wallace stood before this temple of power, gazing up at the towering green dome.

Atop the dome, a goddess symbolizing "Pennsylvania" stretched out her hand, watching over the mortals below.

’Mr. President.’

Leo spoke silently in his mind, his voice tinged with urgency.

’The situation in the House of Representatives is already clear. I’m confident I can secure a simple majority of the 203 seats. The wavering members have been scared witless by public opinion; they’ll vote yes.’

’But the standard procedure is too slow.’

Leo frowned, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with a button on his jacket.

’Committee review, first reading, second reading, debate over amendments, third reading... Going through that whole process will take at least three weeks. And that’s not even counting the potential for a filibuster from the opposition.’

’We can’t afford to wait.’

’The Mutual Aid Alliance’s fund is burning through cash every day, and the patients are waiting for medicine. Every day of delay means more deaths and mounting financial pressure.’

Leo’s gaze sharpened.

’I want to use the suspension of the rules.’

’I want Speaker Russo to use his authority to bypass all the intermediate steps and push it through the House in one fell swoop.’

’Then, with the passed bill in hand, I’ll charge straight into the Senate.’

From the depths of his mind came a heavy sigh.

"Leo."

Roosevelt’s voice turned deep.

"Do you know why the United States has a House and a Senate?"

"Do you know why we designed such a cumbersome, inefficient legislative system, one that even seems deliberately designed for bickering?"

Leo froze for a moment. He didn’t understand why Roosevelt was bringing this up now.

Roosevelt continued, "It was the great compromise of the Founding Fathers."

"In Philadelphia, during the sweltering summer of 1787, the large states and small states fought bitterly over who should hold power."

"Virginia at the time was like California today—populous, wealthy, and powerful."

"They advocated for allocating seats based on population. More people meant more power. This was for the sake of efficiency, to ensure the will of the majority was represented."

"But the small states, like New Jersey, wouldn’t have it. They were afraid of being swallowed by the large states, afraid their interests would be sacrificed by the majority."

"They insisted on equality between states—whether you had a million people or ten thousand, your vote counted the same."

"This was for the sake of fairness, to prevent the tyranny of the majority."

Roosevelt’s voice grew softer.

"To keep this newborn nation from splintering in its cradle, they reached a compromise."

"And so, the House of Representatives was born. With seats allocated by population, it satisfied the large states’ appetite and came to represent the clamorous, ever-changing, and vibrant will of the people."

"And so, the Senate was born. With a fixed two seats per state, it satisfied the small states’ need for security and came to represent the stable, calm, and deliberate structure of the Federation."

"But that’s not all."

Roosevelt’s tone shifted.

"George Washington once shared a famous analogy with Thomas Jefferson."

"One day, Jefferson questioned Washington: ’Why establish a Senate? It’s utterly superfluous, a killer of efficiency.’"

"Washington pointed to the teacup in Jefferson’s hand and asked him, ’Why do you pour your hot tea into the saucer?’"

"Jefferson replied, ’To let it cool.’"

"Washington smiled."

"’That is the purpose of the Senate,’ he said. ’We pour legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it.’"

Roosevelt’s voice echoed in Leo’s mind.

"The House is the radical locomotive."

"Representatives serve only two-year terms. They must constantly please their constituents, swaying with the rise and fall of public opinion polls."

"They are prone to impulsiveness, easily swept up by passion, and susceptible to the kind of mob politics that sacrifices long-term planning for short-term gain."

"The Senate, on the other hand, is the cooling saucer."

"Senators serve six-year terms, with only a third up for reelection at a time. They don’t need to check what’s trending online every day. They have ample time to scrutinize whether a bill is sound, whether it can withstand the test of time."

"They are the filter, the speed bump, the brake pad that prevents this country from careening off a cliff in a fit of overexcitement."

"This is the essence of checks and balances."

"The House controls the purse strings because they directly represent the taxpayers. The Senate handles appointments and diplomacy because those require long-term stability."

"For any bill to become law, it must pass through these two bodies—with their completely different logics and interests—in the exact same form."

"This dramatically increases the difficulty of legislation."

"But it also ensures that only laws that have been thoroughly debated and have achieved broad consensus can ultimately be enacted."

Roosevelt paused, as if giving Leo time to think.

"Even here, on the very land beneath your feet, Pennsylvania learned a painful lesson."

"In 1776, Pennsylvania had a unicameral legislature."

"The result?"

"That all-powerful assembly became an uncontrollable monster. It arbitrarily confiscated the property of political opponents, its laws changed from one day to the next, and it even interfered with judicial rulings."

"After the federal Constitution took effect, they followed suit and switched to a bicameral system, putting a leash back on power."

Roosevelt’s voice grew stern.

"Now, you want to force this through using the suspension of the rules."

"Leo, are you sure you’ve thought this through?"

Leo stood on the steps.

The wind whipped at the hem of his coat, making it flap loudly.

He listened to Roosevelt’s lecture, to all the theories about checks and balances, about composure, about preventing tyranny.

Leo knew, of course, that Roosevelt wasn’t debating the legal basis of the suspension of the rules with him.

The suspension of the rules wasn’t some extralegal privilege; it was the lubricant left in the legislative machine to keep it from rusting over. If every appropriation, every change of a single comma, had to strictly follow the three-reading procedure, wasting weeks in committee as lobbyists sliced it up like a sausage, then this building wouldn’t be the center of power, but a giant quagmire.

The suspension of the rules exists precisely for the sake of efficiency.

It allows legislators, upon reaching a broad consensus, to hit the fast-forward button and proceed directly to a vote.

Procedurally, it’s completely legitimate.

Leo looked down at the hard granite beneath his feet.

’I know what you’re really worried about.’

’You’re not worried about me breaking some rule of procedure, nor whether that cup of tea will scorch the Senate’s desks.’

’You’re worried about my mindset.’

’You see the shadow of a tyrant in my thinking. You think I’m eager to crush all dissenting voices with executive will, that I’m trying to tear down all the guardrails so this vehicle answers only to my command.’

Roosevelt’s voice fell silent for a moment.

Leo had guessed right.

The giant who had entered the White House four times knew better than anyone how power corrupts the soul.

He had seen countless people who, under the banner of "for the people," eventually became the very thing they once despised most.

Leo raised his head, his gaze traveling past the plaza and into the distance.

’I understand the value of checks and balances, but I understand the urgency of hunger and sickness even more.’

’In this circle, everyone wants to be the referee. Everyone wants to wave a red flag and call a timeout. They enjoy the thrill of controlling the tempo, but they forget that the players on the field are bleeding.’

’If we follow your theory, we’ll have a respectable debate, a few mild compromises, and in the end, a watered-down bill that makes everyone happy but helps no one.’

’In that case, procedure wins, the Constitution wins, and the dignity of the political elite is preserved.’

’The only ones who lose are the patients.’

’In times of peace, when everyone has food to eat, a roof over their head, and the leisure to discuss the spirit of the Constitution, this system is perfect.’

Leo pointed into the distance.

’But now the house is on fire.’

’We are saving people.’

’When the flames are already singeing our eyebrows and the rafters are about to collapse, you want me to sit there with my saucer of tea, waiting for it to cool?’

’You want me to discuss long-term planning with senators who only care about their own interests?’

Leo let out a cold laugh.

’If patients die waiting just so the tea can cool, if we stand by and watch thousands of families go bankrupt just to uphold so-called procedural justice, then that is also a form of tyranny.’

’The tyranny of mediocrity.’

’The tyranny of procedure.’

Leo lit a cigarette. The smoke was instantly torn apart by the wind, but the fire in his eyes burned ever brighter.

’I don’t care about any damned saucer.’

’And I don’t care about the scrutiny of the elites.’

’All I know is that I have the medicine, and they are sick.’

’The wall in between must be torn down.’

Leo raised his head, staring directly at the ghost in the void.

’So, tell me, Mr. President.’

’Are you on the side of the rules?’

’Or are you on my side?’

Roosevelt was silent for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.

"I’m a pragmatist, Leo."

Roosevelt’s voice became lighter.

"Though I champion checks and balances and revere the Constitution, I know even better that the law is meant to serve man, not the other way around."

"Lincoln suspended habeas corpus to save the Union."

"I threatened the Supreme Court to save the economy."

"A true leader is not merely a guardian of the rules."

"Sometimes, he must be a breaker of rules."

"Because only upon the ruins can a greater order be built."

Leo threw the cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it fiercely with the toe of his shoe.

’Thank you for your support, Mr. President.’

’I will prove it to you.’

’In this era, I alone can turn the tide.’

’Only the knife in my hand can cut this damn Gordian knot.’

Leo strode toward the closed doors of the Capitol building.

His figure seemed so small before the magnificent structure, yet so resolute.

He was going to push the doors open.

He wasn’t just opening a door.

He was going to overturn an era.